ACIM Inspiration with Anthony Gold: Recent Episodes
Anthony Gold
Each week Anthony shares an inspirational quote from A Course in Miracles along with some brief commentary on what it means and how we can practice the teachings of the Course. You can see all posts and essays on Anthony's site, Live Beyond the Illusion: www.LiveBeyondTheIllusion.com
In this episode I talk about how and why the laws of physics were made the way they are. And how that relates to all our experiences.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/spooky-action-at-a-distance/
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In this episode, Anthony discusses the Course's definition of "forgiveness" - which has nothing to do with forgiving others for what they did to us.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-62/
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In this episode, Anthony discusses why we care about things in the world. For example, why we get joyful or upset when our sports team wins or loses.
https://www.livebeyondtheillusion.com/why-do-we-care/
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In Lesson 61 we remember how important our function is and to always be aware of how the ego will try to trip us up. We ARE the light of the world. That IS our only function. That is WHY we are here.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-61/
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In Lesson 50 we learn about the ego, what it has to offer (hint: not much) and how we can make a different choice and experience perfect peace.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-50/
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In the episode, Anthony discusses this line from Lesson 281: "I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts."
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In Lesson 49 we learn about the two voice in our mind. One that speaks of fear (the ego) and one that speaks of love (God's voice).
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-49/
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In this episode, Anthony shares what we, who buy into the ego thought system, have in common with cult members. Cognitive dissonance.
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In this episode, Anthony shares some beautiful lines from Lesson 121 and what forgiveness truly means.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses how memory keeps us trapped in the illusion. As well, how we can use memory to help escape from its insincere embrace.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses overcoming past trauma and how well-meaning advice can often be non-loving.
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In this episode, Anthony explores the nature of seeing every problem as it truly is, leading to an escape from all pain.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses gentleness and how, in every moment, we can make the choice for the peace.
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In this episode, Anthony presents a devilish experiment surrounding the parable of the Good Samaritan. He also discusses the nature of time and techniques we can use to help us practice our lessons of growth and forgiveness.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses the nature of self and explores practices we can leverage to help us become more self aware and peaceful.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses self-rejection, self-acceptance, and practices we can use to become channels for peace.
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In this episode, Anthony discusses the distinction between brain and mind -- and the real alternatives we choose between. Our choice in the mind directly correlates with our experience of either peace or pain.
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In Lesson 48 we learn that all our fear - despite everything going on in the world - comes from our choice for the ego. And we can make a different choice.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-48/
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In Lesson 47 we learn where true strength resides, as well as practice exercises for reaching that place of peace.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-47/
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In Lesson 46 we learn this provocative definition of forgiveness: nothing and no one needs to be forgiven, because nothing happened.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-46/
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In Lesson 45 we learn that the source of all thought comes from our mind. When we choose the mind of peace, all our thoughts will be loving, peaceful and inclusive.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-45/
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In Lesson 44 we learn that light and seeing - as we’ve come to understand those concepts - are actually their opposites. True seeing comes from within.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-44/
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In Lesson 43 we learn that when we are looking with the ego as our teacher - which, if we’re honest, is most of the time, then what we see is not reality, but rather delusion.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-43/
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In Lesson 42, we learn that success is this course is guaranteed. Not through any strength of will of our own. But rather through the power of our source - to which we are always connected.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-42/
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In Lesson 41, we learn that deep within is the remedy for everything that troubles us. We’re learning to connect with our source.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-41/
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In Lesson 40, we learn about why this lesson focuses more on reminding us to do the lesson that it does on actually describing the lesson.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-40/
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In this episode, Anthony talks about why traditional mechanisms to overlook sin don’t work and how we can truly see beyond error in a way that actually works.
https://acimlife.com/how-to-overlook-sin
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Our guilt runs much deeper than we might imagine. And it's the cause of all our suffering. But there is a way to escape it.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-39/
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From the vantage point of the right mind of spirit, we experientially understand that there is nothing our holiness cannot do.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-38/
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As much as I think my judgment is correct - especially when its based on logic, experience, and a strong gut feel - my intention is far from loving.
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Charity is a way of looking at another as if he had already gone far beyond his actual accomplishments in time.
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When we choose the mind of spirit, our bodies take on the holy purpose of channeling love and recognizing the sameness in everything.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-37/
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Whenever we find ourselves judging anything, that's a reminder that we aren’t seeing the holiness that envelops everything around us. In which case, we can make a different choice in our mind and experience a completely different outcome.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-36/
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When I first started in the business world, I was taught (and I believed) that the pie was limited. If I didn’t take my slice, then someone else would.
For instance, each year there was a limited pool of money for salary raises. Every dollar one person received meant there was one less for everyone else. Only a certain percentage of people could be rated a one - which was the top rating.
This obviously cultivated a culture of competition.
And while it may have produced increased output, it certainly led to a fair amount of disgruntlement.
Yet this is the way much of the world works.
And it’s intentional. Not just to drive conflict, but to keep us rooted in a mindset of lack and limitation. Even if we get what we want, there’s a part of us that knows deep down it’s at the expense of someone else. The guilt grows - often unconsciously - creating a gnawing sense of fear of losing whatever we’ve gained.
Gain and loss teeter on the world’s precarious balance scale.
But there’s another way of existing in the world - a different mindset - that leads to a completely different experience.
Consider this quote from A Course in Miracles: “What your brother loses you have lost, and what he gains is what is given you.”
When we see others as one with us - a shared purpose to awaken from a dream of hell - then all sense of judgment, competition, and lack melt away. And in their place is a quiet, gentle peace that embraces everyone.
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In this lesson, we are asked to search our mind for how we see ourselves. For instance, we might say: I see myself as imposed on. I see myself as depressed. I see myself as failing. Or, I see myself as charitable. I see myself as victorious. And so on.
And then what we’re taught is that those are all unreal.
We only believe we are those things because we’ve surrounded ourselves with an environment that seems to prove it.
In other words, we made it all up.
All our experiences, day-in and day-out, are intentionally architected to lead us to these images of ourselves - either positive or negative - so that we never question their source.
And by staying out of the mind - or mind-less - we continue to reinforce this false identity.
This lesson is helping us understand what real vision will show us. It describes our true identity, which is that our mind is part of God’s and that every one of us is very holy.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-35/
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This is one of the most commonly practiced lessons in the workbook. The reason is that it can be used in every single situation in which we’re upset.
On the surface, it’s hard to imagine how we could see peace in the midst of a challenging experience - especially if we are clearly being victimized.
How could I see peace when this awful thing is happening to me?
But what this lesson is teaching us - and these lines are right at the beginning of the lesson - is that “peace of mind is an internal matter. It must begin with your thoughts and then extend outward. It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises.”
Consider the metaphor of a movie theater. When we’re watching a movie that is particularly well-written, acted, directed, and produced - we get sucked in to the characters and the script. So much so that our emotions resonate with the drama. We totally forget that the real us is sitting in the movie theater.
In the same way, we’ve gotten totally sucked in to the drama of what we call life. So much so that we’ve forgotten it is not real. That it’s just a dream.
And that’s what the Course means by “I could see peace instead of this.” It’s the recognition that the real me is sitting in the movie theater - so to speak - watching an incredibly engaging movie.
As we practice returning to our mind (or, sticking with our metaphor, returning our awareness to the movie theater) - then we can use this helpful lesson any time we’re feeling depressed, anxious, or upset by remembering, “I could see peace instead of this.”
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-34/
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I used to measure my success as a businessperson by how well I could outsmart the market and competition. Armed with sufficient data and an understanding of human nature, it wasn’t too hard to create winning solutions.
Yet I wasn’t happy. Instead, I was filled with dread and anxiousness. The source of which would elude me for many, many years.
I eventual learned that what I valued as one of my most finely-honed skills was actually my biggest deterrent.
And that’s judgment.
My ability to judge everything around me - and myself - to such a degree is what enabled me to navigate the business world.
If I had a chip on my shoulder, I would prove a naysayer wrong. If I could accurately judge a company’s weakness - which really meant I was judging the people behind the company - then I’d know how it could be fixed.
And if I judged myself with enough criticism, I’d be able to generate enough motivational fuel to keep me working 100-hour weeks for years on end.
Judgment was the best arrow in my quiver.
And it made me miserable.
I might have been smart, but I was definitely not wise.
I really love this line from A Course in Miracles: “Wisdom is not judgment; it is the relinquishment of judgment.”
By letting go of judgment - which doesn’t mean letting go of analysis - but by letting go of the emotional, psychological, value-based judgment of myself and others, an extraordinary weight was lifted from my shoulders.
There is nothing more freeing, more sublime, and more joyful than the release of all judgment. It’s a practice worth cultivating over and over.
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Looking is one of the most prominent themes in A Course in Miracles. In fact, the book could easily be called "A Course in Looking."
But, like so many other things in the Course, there is another interpretation for the concept.
Looking does not mean seeing with our eyes. In the same way, vision is not about what our eyes see. Looking has everything to do with observing our thoughts - and, ultimately, understanding our mind. Or, more specifically, which mind we've chosen.
So, today's lesson of there being another way of looking at the world means that we carefully consider our thoughts regarding whatever we see with our eyes (or any other experiences our senses report to us).
It is our thoughts that lead to the emotions we experience. So as we practice paying attention to our thoughts, we get back to the source of how we feel in every moment.
Whenever we're not happy or not at peace, this lesson is telling us that there's another way of looking - which in this case would mean looking with our right mind instead of looking with our ego.
Our thoughts will always tell us which mind we've chosen. So let's practice paying attention to our thoughts in order to have more peaceful experiences.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-33/
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Whenever I needed to make a tough decision, I would weigh the various pieces of data I had in order to drive to what I felt was the best conclusion.
If the topic was something I considered to be substantial in nature, then I would often create a pro/con list for each choice I was considering. That would help me rank the better options over the lesser ones.
And if I still couldn't come up with a final decision, then I would go with my gut.
So how has that worked out for me?
Well, in retrospect, despite my seemingly scientific, objective approach - I've made some pretty bad decisions.
The reason is that I wasn't really being objective. More like selectively objective. My judgment of how I wanted things to turn out always crowded out the voice that knew better.
It's not our brains that think and decide. It is our mind. Of which we have two choices: the ego mind and the mind of spirit. The Course teaches us that "the mind is the mechanism of decision."
Whenever we judge or have a vested interest in the outcome, then we've chosen the ego mind. And our decisions will always lead us deeper into pain. As my choices often did.
But when we choose the mind of spirit, the most helpful direction automatically flows through us with a guilt-free sense of ease. There's no better, more peaceful way to make any decisions.
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Just when we thought it couldn't get any more challenging than yesterday's lesson - which was "I am not a victim of the world I see" - comes this lesson.
There are multiple layers to this concept that the world isn't real.
On the metaphysical level is the idea that in reality, we are at home in heaven. There's isn't even a "we" since heaven is a state of undifferentiated oneness, infinite love.
But even on the level of the illusion - where we believe we are - this lesson truly means what it says. The world we experience is a shadow - or an effect. The cause is the mind.
Said another way, what we experience in the world is the result of which mind we've chosen - either ego or spirit. When we chose the ego mind, we experience a world of pain, suffering, and perhaps temporary, conditional joy that will eventually end.
But when we choose the mind of spirit, we experience a world of shared interests, calmness, and a freedom from conflict. And as we'll learn in upcoming lessons, by practicing returning to our right mind we can lessen the time between pain and peace.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-32/
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This is yet another very challenging concept that is so hard to accept.
What this lesson is teaching is that the world - and other people - cannot victimize us. One of the more popular lines in the Course is this: "Beware the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated." And then it goes on to say, "You cannot be unfairly treated."
Clearly we experience ourselves as being unfairly treated. We have plenty of examples and lots of people who will agree with us.
But that's the point of grievances - their purpose is to keep us mindless. To keep us looking for solutions in the world: by trying to make other people or situations change.
When we recognize how this works, we can begin the undoing process. There's a line in this lesson that reads, "The inner is the cause of the outer." In other words, what's going on in our mind is what causes our experiences out in the world.
So if we want to change how we feel, then we need to return our awareness to our mind, and make the choice against victimization and instead make the choice for peace.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-31/
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Going through life has taught us plenty about grievances. All the times we’ve been trampled by the world can leave us weary.
Bank account not where we’d like it to be. Bodily health not ideal. Family challenges that seem to regularly persist. Relationship problems. Fear or anxiety about the future. Anger or regret or shame over the past.
The list goes on and on.
Just when one problem seems to be solved, another one quickly takes its place.
But what we’re missing is this: our pain is not coming from all those things going on in the world and our body. Rather, our pain comes from holding grievances.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “He who holds grievances denies he was created by love.”
It might seem very hard to believe, but letting go of grievances in our mind returns us to a place to peace.
And a helpful thought to remember is this: our goal is not be without grievances - that would be nearly impossible for us as bodies in the world - but rather, our goal is not to have any [grievances] that we want to keep.
So the next time we catch ourselves in the grip of fear or pain, we can remember our connection to infinite love and say to the grievance, “No thank you - I don’t want to hold on to you any longer.”
And then we gently let it go.
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This is a very radical concept to those of us who grew up in any western religious culture. “God is in my mind.”
We think of God as some powerful entity residing in Heaven who brought the universe into existence and somehow oversees the goings-on of various things - perhaps even including the fate of our lives and the entrance criteria into Heaven.
But what if we have it all wrong?
A Course in Miracles (and many other spiritual thought systems) teach that God is not an entity. Just try imagining the concept of infinite love. We can’t. We use words to approximate an indescribable state of never-ending bliss.
And the way we can experience a glimpse of that wonder is by returning to our right mind - which is a reflection of that incredible state.
In fact, everything we experience in the world is a projection of what we’ve chosen in our mind with our thoughts. And by closely watching our thoughts, we can tell whether we’ve chosen our ego mind - which will always show us a world of pain and lack and fear. Or if we’ve chosen our right mind - in which case we’ll see infinite love - or God - in everything.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-30/
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This is such a beautiful lesson.
Like many of the lessons we’ve studied so far, and many yet to come, it is difficult to accept. “What do you mean, ‘God is in this table?”
In fact, the lesson suggests we will likely find the idea not only hard to grasp but even silly and senseless.
But what we are asked to do is “to begin learning how to look on all things with love, appreciation and open-mindedness.” The fact is, we don’t see things as they are now - we only see them through our filter of judgment.
But as we practice seeing the infinite oneness in everything, we will find our judgment lessening and peace increasing.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-29/
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As we’ve discussed before, seeing in the course is not what our eyes see. Rather, it’s the meaning we give what our eyes see - and what our ears hear, and what all our other senses inform us about.
And the meaning we give things is based on which teacher we’ve chosen in our mind: ego or spirit. We’re always choosing one or the other.
The ego will always judge and give everything a meaning from the perspective of lack. Is what my eyes are seeing (for instance) helpful or harmful to me? If helpful, I’ll call it good, otherwise, I’ll judge it another way. There is no ambivalence from the ego because it is always judging.
Conversely, from spirit, there is no judgment. None whatsoever. And without judgment, we can’t experience any differences between anyone or anything. And that we can experience is the love that unites everything.
That’s why A Course in Miracles says “all things I think I see reflect ideas”.
The ideas that are reflected are the ideas contained within the mind we’ve chosen.
What ideas are in the ego mind? Sin, guilt, fear, lack, separation, and pain. And that’s exactly what we experience when we choose the ego.
What ideas are in the mind of spirit? Only love. Without exception.
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In this lesson, we’re now getting specific.
From the last lesson we learned that when we have chosen the ego mind, the meaning we give what our eyes see will always be some form of lack and fear.
But when we change to the mind of spirit, we no longer judge what we see and instead experience the peaceful oneness in everything.
This lesson uses the example of a table and teaches us that when we say “above all else I want to see this table differently” that we are “making a commitment to withdraw our preconceived ideas about the table, and open our mind to what it is, and what it is for.”
In the course words, we are “letting its purpose [the purpose of the table] be revealed to us, instead of placing our own judgment upon it.”
And that’s what true seeing is all about. Stepping out of the mind of judgment and letting the infinite oneness of everything reveal itself to us.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-28/
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The Course is teaching us that what our eyes see isn’t true seeing. In fact, our eyes see what our ego mind instructs them to see.
True seeing is when we choose against the ego and for the mind of spirit.
When we do that, then our seeing completely changes - but not in the way we might think.
When the course talks about seeing - it isn’t the physical images we see. Rather, it’s the meaning we give whatever our senses sense.
So, seeing from the right mind means that our eyes still see what is around us, but we no longer judge anything we see. Instead, we experience a oneness that unites everything. No differences that matter concern us. And we are filled with a peace that truly surpasses understand.
So this lesson is asking us to practice repeating that idea (“above all else I want to see”) - and to pay attention to how often we remember. When we forget, it isn’t because we got sidetracked. Rather, we got sidetracked because we got fearful and chose the ego mind.
And then we simply try again.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-27/
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A great technique for starting the morning is to decide for a happy day.
When I first heard of this concept many years ago, I thought it was silly. “What do you mean, decide for a happy day? How do you decide something like that?”
My confusion was due to the belief that the quality of my day had less to do with me and much more to do with what was going on around me. If circumstances went the way I wanted, then I would be happy. Otherwise I would be disappointed, frustrated, angry, sad, or whatever.
But when I came to realize that happiness is a choice, not a consequence - then my life changed.
The choice for happiness is within. But it’s not some woo woo, self-delusional, positive-vibe mantra. No amount of words we chant to ourselves will make us happy.
Rather, it’s the choice to no longer side with our ego mind. Which in practice looks like seeing everyone the same. Recognizing there are no meaningful differences between any of us. No exclusions.
I love this passage from A Course in Miracles: “Your judgment has been lifted from the world by your decision for a happy day.”
Letting go of judgment - of ourselves and everyone else - and seeing the love that unites everything is the choice for a happy day.
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This lesson is teaching us that by having attack thoughts - which we’ll discuss in a moment - but having attack thoughts is what makes us vulnerable.
And what is an attack thought?
Not just a thought of negativity toward another person. An attack thought is any thought that is not filled with peace. So when we’re concerned about something. Or when we’re afraid of something. Or sad. Those are all attack thoughts.
This lesson is also teaching us is that our non-peaceful thoughts always attack ourselves first. Because by having any such thoughts we are “proving” that we are vulnerable.
If we understood our true nature as spirit - which is completely invulnerable - then we could never have any attack thoughts.
These lines from this lesson help clarify: “Nothing except your thoughts can attack you. Nothing except your thoughts can make you think you are vulnerable.”
And that’s why we learned in Lesson 23 that by giving up our attack thoughts we can escape from all pain and suffering.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-26/
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Today’s lesson is setting the stage for meaning or purpose. One of the recurring themes throughout the Course is the question: “What is it for?”
In other words, in every situation, we’re asked to consider the purpose behind our actions. But as this lesson points out, while we may think we know the “why”, we really don’t. Consider this passage:
“You perceive the world and everything in it as meaningful in terms of ego goals. These goals have nothing to do with your own best interests, because the ego is not you. This false identification makes you incapable of understanding what anything is for.”
Said another way, when we identify with the ego - which is anytime we’re feeling anything other than an all-inclusive, blissful peace that embraces everyone and excludes no one - which pretty much means all the time - then when we’re with the ego, we have lost the ability to know what is best for us. And if we don’t know what is best for us, then we don’t know what anything is for.
So this lesson is asking us to give up all our goals since we don’t yet understand what is best. And by doing so, we open ourselves to learning from a different teacher who guides us on a journey toward true meaning.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-25/
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The single most challenging concept related to A Course in Miracles is the idea that the world is not real. It’s a projection from our thoughts.
The reason that it’s nearly impossible for us to grasp is because our experiences suggest otherwise. All our senses convince us that the world, our bodies, and everything going on around us is very real.
But our senses lie. Everything in our body and the world has one purpose - and that’s to keep us mindless.
By remaining mindless, we believe that all our problems - and all our sources of joy - come from things in the world. And when we believe that’s true - we’ll keep seeking externally to fulfill our sense of lack.
However, when we remember that our true identity is not this body but rather within our mind, then we can begin to understand and practice what the Course - and many other non-dualistic thought systems - teach.
These lines from the Course help us understand what reality is really like:
“Seek not escape from problems here. The world was made that problems could not be escaped.”
When we return to our mind, we can now address the source of all our problems - which is the choice for the ego. And as the Course gently encourages us, “My brother, choose again.”
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The beginning of this lessons explains why we don’t know what’s best - for ourselves or for anyone else.
"In no situation that arises do you realize the outcome that would make you happy. Therefore, you have no guide to appropriate action, and no way of judging the result. What you do is determined by your perception of the situation, and that perception is wrong."
The reason our perception of any and every situation is wrong is because we’ve chosen the ego as our guide. The course teaches us that in every moment we are either choosing the mind of ego or spirit.
The ego always leads to the perception of separation, differences, and conditional emotions: I’m happy because such-and-such; I’m upset due to this-and-that.
The mind of spirit always leads to the experience of peace, and our response is always one of love.
This lesson is teaching us that by realizing that we don’t perceive our own best interests, we can finally be taught what they are.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-24/
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While all 365 lessons are powerful, this one is instrumental in helping us understand the relationship between thought and experience.
“Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.”
In other words, things don’t “just happen” in the world. We create our experiences with our thoughts. Just like in dreams at night. The drama doesn’t randomly occur - we make it up in our mind, project it into the dream, and then totally forget we set it all up.
That’s why this lesson goes on to say, “It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to change.”
This Lesson 23 pretty much echoes, coincidentally, Proverb 23 which says, “As a man thinketh, so is he.”
This lesson also contains one of the clearest passages regarding how we effect change in our life:
“There is no point in trying to change the world. It is incapable of change because it is merely an effect. But there is indeed a point in changing your thoughts about the world. Here you are chasing the cause. The effect will change automatically.”
The more we practice observing our thoughts, the easier it becomes to recognize when we’ve chosen the unhelpful teacher of the ego and can then make a different choice.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-23/
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Today let’s unpack anger a bit.
Every one of us feels justified in our anger. Meaning that when we get angry, we feel there is a good reason for it.
Somebody did or said something they shouldn’t have. A situation didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. Or maybe we even got angry at ourselves for our own misstep.
The why we’re angry doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we are angry.
This question from A Course in Miracles makes it so clear: “When you are angry, is it not because someone has failed to fill the function you allotted him?”
The key phrase in this question is “the function you allotted him.”
We allotted a function to another person, and they didn’t fulfill their function.
And that’s why we’re angry.
I really has much less to do with them and everything to do with us. We set them up.
When we stop allotting functions to others, we have no grounds for any judgment, especially anger.
The key is not tying our sense of peace and wellbeing with what others say and do. People will always trip and fall - as will we.
But when we can instead see everyone (including ourselves) through the judgment-free lens of love, we’ll never feel anger again.
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In this lesson, we’re asked to say to ourself the following thoughts:
I see only the perishable.
I see nothing that will last.
What I see is not real.
What I see is a form of vengeance.
Is this the world I really want to see?
Thankfully, as we’ve been learning in these lessons, we can see differently. We can see from “above the battleground” as the Course says.
From this perspective, we don’t feel any negative emotions. In fact, all we experience is peace - and what we see is either love being extended or love being called out for.
We realize, as this lessons points out, “All that you fear does not exist.”
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-22/
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This lesson asks us to search our mind for anger. And it introduces a very challenging thought: there is no difference between a mild twinge of annoyance and murderous rage.
The reason they are the same is because they are both the result of the choosing the ego mind. We think there is a hierarchy - rage being “worse” than annoyance. But everything of the ego is a projection of sin, guilt, and fear - regardless of the form it takes.
So as this lesson asks us to focus on a willingness to see things differently, what it means is that we recognize that any negative thought - regardless of its intensity - is of the ego. And if we want to see differently, then we need to choose a different teacher - namely, choosing against the mind of the ego and for the mind of spirit.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-21/
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Year ends and year beginnings are times many people think about goals and what they want to accomplish in the coming weeks and months.
And goals essentially suggest that there is a desired state we haven’t yet achieved - but with careful planning and execution, we can make it happen.
But as we think about what will bring us happiness, we want to be sure we are looking in the right place. If we think that a certain level of money, health, societal position, family relationships, or anything else external to our core being-ness will bring us joy, then we will be disappointed.
Consider these lines from the Course: “Seek not outside yourself. For it will fail, and you will weep each time an idol falls.”
Nothing external will ever bring us lasting joy. Temporary satisfaction at best, but often at the cost of increased fear.
Instead, we’re encouraged to return to the “stately calm within” - which is our choosing the mind of spirit instead of the ego.
That’s where our true treasure resides, and that’s where we remember our connection with the infinite.
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An important thought in this lesson is this line: “Your mind is totally undisciplined, and you cannot distinguish between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, love and fear.”
That is very hard for us to accept. We believe we can definitely tell the difference between happiness and sadness. Yet the Course is teaching us that these are two sides of the same coin.
What we consider to be “good” is a result of the world and our body being in a certain state where our needs and desires are met. It’s a conditional sort of happiness that can evaporate as soon as conditions change: our body (or the body of a loved one) gets sick; our financial security is threatened, people disappoint us, and so on.
When we’re willing to accept that we really can’t tell the difference between joy and sorrow - then we open ourselves to a new way of seeing. One not driven by the ego mind.
The Course teaches us that “your decision to see is all that vision requires.”
So our practice consists in reminding ourselves that we do want to see. And now we allow a different teacher to guide our journey.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-20/
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There are two important lines I want to share from this lesson. The first is this: “Thinking and its results are really simultaneous, for cause and effect are never separate.”
Our experience always reflects whatever we are thinking. There is no exception to this. That’s why the Course puts all its emphasis on changing our mind, not on changing the world or bodies or situations.
The second line I want to highlight is this: “Minds are joined.” It goes on to say “This may even be regarded as an ‘invasion of privacy’ - yet it is a fact that there are no private thoughts.”
Think about that. “There are no private thoughts.”
Why?
Because minds are joined. Even though we have the experience of separate bodies with separate thinking apparatuses - our brains simply do whatever the mind instructs them to do.
And there is just one mind. One Mind in Heaven - which is our true reality. And one mind in the illusion - which we call the ego.
This lesson is helping us begin the practice of carefully watching our thoughts. This will lead us back to the mind where we can make the choice for peace.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-19/
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A prominent theme in A Course in Miracles is that we are all the same. The challenge is that it doesn’t seem that way to us.
When we look at other people, we see them as separate from us. We are “here” and they are “there”. We have “this” combination of personality, skillset, dreams, and fears. And they have “their own” way of relating and being in the world.
And most significantly, we are “we” and they are “they”.
But as the Course points out, “differences are only of the body.” We all share the same mind. The same split mind consisting of the wrong-mind of the ego, the right-mind of spirit, and a decision making ability to choose between them.
And when we are in our right mind, we see the shared purpose that unites all of us. While their body may look and act differently than ours, they share the same earnest desire (even if it’s mostly unconscious) to awaken from this dream of death.
There is no real difference between us. We are one. And as we practice seeing our brother as ourselves, we loosen fear’s grip that tarnishes all our experiences in the world.
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What this lesson is emphasizing is that it is not so much “what” we see but rather “how” we see it.
And the “how” being with which teacher.
We can only see with one of two teachers - either the wrong-mind of the ego, or the right-mind of spirit.
This lesson also introduces the idea that minds are joined. We all share the same ego mind, the same spirit mind, and the same ability to choose one or the other.
That’s why we’re never alone in experiencing the effects of our seeing. We are all joined. Like a pane of glass that once was one but shattered into billions of tiny fragments. Every fragment retains its total, complete “glass-ness”.
We are those fragments who’ve forgotten our oneness or unity with every other fragment.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-18/
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This lesson follows up from the prior lesson “I have no neutral thoughts.”
In fact, this lesson starts off by saying “You see no neutral things because you have no neutral thoughts. It is always the thought that comes first, despite the temptation to believe that it is the other way around.”
So, what we see first begins with what we think.
And if our thoughts are not neutral, then we won’t see anything neutral. We will always see through the lens of judgment.
Later in this lesson, the Course tells us that “Regardless of what you may believe, you do not see anything that is really alive or really joyous. That is because you are unaware as yet of any thought that is really true and therefore really happy.”
In other words, up to this point, we have only experienced projections of the ego mind. Which always leads to experiences of fear, guilt, anger, and, at best, brief moments of conditional joy - meaning that we’re happy because certain things have lined up in a way that temporarily pleases us.
Understanding that we have no neutral thoughts and see no neutral things is a major step in reversing what the Course refers to as our mad descent into hell.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-17/
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The Course uses the prominent theme of forgiveness in a way that is contrary to all our past experiences. We think of forgiveness as a means to absolve others of their bad behavior.
They did something that hurt us or others in some way. There was an offense committed.
But now, in the graciousness of our heart, we will forgive them “their trespasses” (as the Bible says).
But what if there was no trespassing?
Here is how A Course in Miracles defines atonement: “Forgiveness separates the dreamer from the dream.”
That’s it. But what does that even mean?
We see that what we thought was an offense - some sort of grievance - was nothing but part of our dream. Forgiveness means that when we look at another person, we separate out the dreamer (which is who they really are) from the dream (which is what we think happened).
If someone hurts us in our dream at night - we feel bad in the dream. But when we wake up, we realize it was just a dream. It would make no sense to call the person up and ask them “Why did you do this to me?” They didn’t do anything. We clearly separate the dreamer from the dream.
And what we’re learning in the Course is to do the same thing with what the think of as “reality”. We are still asleep dreaming that this is all real. Forgiveness helps us separate the dreamer from the dream and experience a wonderful, non-judgmental calm.
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"The idea for today is a beginning step in dispelling the belief that your thoughts have no effect. Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. There is no exception to this fact. Thoughts are not big or little; powerful or weak. They are merely true or false."
Those lines are so compelling. “Everything you see if the result of your thoughts.”
And what he means by thoughts being merely true or false - that depends on which mind we’ve chosen: either the ego mind or the mind of spirit. When we choose the ego, all our thoughts are related to fear, guilt, attack, and defense.
When we choose the mind of spirit, all our thoughts are reflections of love.
In fact, later in that lesson he says, “Every thought you have brings either peace or war; either love or fear. A neutral result is impossible because a neutral thought is impossible.”
So, we can use all our experiences in the world to show us which thoughts we’re thinking - which in turn leads us back to our mind where we can make a different choice.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-16/
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When we were young, we played make believe. We made up characters and gave them a history and then presented them with various challenges. And as kids, a part of us believed in these characters. We identified with them. They were something of an alter-ego for us. But a part of us obviously knew it was made up. In fact, the extent to which we immersed ourselves in the character is how much emotion we felt about the character’s various obstacles and interactions.
In the same way, we are still playing that game of make-believe. What we call “me” - our body, our history, our family, our relationships, our social and professional status, and everything else we identify with as “me” - is a fictional character. We invented it. We created it and invested it with belief.
In fact, we invested it with so much belief that, unlike the game we played as children, we have no awareness that it’s made up.
And as everyone and everything around us are doing the same thing, it seems there is no guide to lead us out of the realm of make believe.
Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles: “Figures stand out and move about, actions seem real, and forms appear and shift from loveliness to the grotesque. And back and forth they go, as long as you would play the game of children’s make-believe.”
Once we attune our awareness to the game itself instead of the game figures and game situations, the drama melts away. We’ve identified the source of all misery and taken the hand of the Guide who leads us beyond all seeming terror.
So as we go about our daily experiences, we can remember that we give everything all the meaning it has for us. And when we feel any sense of dis-comfort, we can ask that Guide to help us see through the eyes of peace.
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Let me read the first paragraph of this lesson:
"It is because the thoughts you think you think appear as images that you do not recognize them as nothing. You think you think them, and so you think you see them. This is how your “seeing” was made. This is the function you have given your body’s eyes. It is not seeing. It is image making. It takes the place of seeing, replacing vision with illusions."
In other words, what we see when we look around us is not reality but rather our interpretation of reality. Our perception of everything starts with our thoughts. What we first think, we then perceive.
In fact, the Course refers to this line from Proverbs: As a man thinketh, so does he perceive.This lesson is helping us pay attention to our thoughts since all our sense of wellbeing (or lack thereof) comes from our thoughts.
And our thoughts are sourced from the mind. When we choose the ego mind, all our thoughts are related to fear, shame, attack, and defense. Conversely, when we chose the mind of spirit, we can only experience a reflection of love.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-15/
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This lesson hearkens back to the introduction in A Course in Miracles:
"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."
What the introduction and this lesson are teaching us is that anything that can be threatened or suffer or die is not real. What God created - which is the only true reality - is perfectly whole, lacking nothing.
In this lesson are these lines: “The world you see has nothing to do with reality. It is of your own making, and it does not exist.”
These are not metaphorical statements - they’re meant to be taken literally. We’re being taught to see the world differently, and to use all our experiences of pain and fear as reminders that we are looking at a world we made.
Recognizing the unreality of everything we made returns us to the mind where we can re-connect with the memory of God.
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-14/
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One of the most challenging concepts in A Course in Miracles is the idea that perception is something we make, not something we observe.
In other words, everything we experience is not the result of the various goings-on in the world and our body. Instead, what our senses witness to us comes from a choice we make in the mind.
This line from the Course makes it clear: “Perception is a choice and not a fact.” (T-21.V.1)
When we choose the ego mind, everything we experience has the purpose of proving that we are here, that we can suffer, and that it’s not our fault. All the drama in our lives certainly bears that out.
But when we return to our mind and instead make a choice for the mind of love, then our perception is literally turned upside down. Everything we experience witnesses to our union with everything. We see no differences outside the superficialness of bodies. And we see our shared purpose to awaken from this nightmare dream of hell into loving embrace of Heaven.
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Everything we see and experience in the world is without meaning. There is no good. There is no bad.
But we project onto this “blank slate” all the meaning everything has.
What this lesson is teaching us is that we are quite fearful of this meaninglessness. And the reason is that our ego sees this void and worries that if it doesn’t rush in and fill this empty space that its own impotence and unreality would be demonstrated. To which the Course says “And on this alone is it [the ego] correct.”
That’s why we’re so quick to judge everything. The ego judges everything it sees in terms of whether it is “good” or “bad” in relation to its existence. That’s why whenever someone offends or violates us in some way that we immediately feel that kick in the gut. It’s our ego saying “I’m the innocent victim and that other person is the victimizer.”
When we choose our ego mind, we’re terrified of letting go of our victimhood. No matter how much we might say and believe otherwise.
And so this lesson is helping us practice the idea that we are in competition with nothing - and that letting go of the ego won’t bring us fear but rather joyful peace.
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Forgiveness is a tricky word.
We think of it in regards to someone who has wronged us in some way. They did or said something hurtful, and we hold them accountable for their offense.
Forgiveness, then, is putting it behind you. Overlooking the foul. Letting the other person off the hook.
But is it really?
If we still feel any sense of pain or regret or even a mild twinge of annoyance, then have we really forgiven? Perhaps the watered down version of “I forgive you, but I will never forget what you did” sort of thing.
But that’s not real forgiveness.
To truly forgive, we need to completely let go of any sense of wrongdoing. It’s the realization that nothing happened that needs to be forgiven.
I love this line from A Course in Miracles: “Forgiveness always rests upon the one who offers it, until he sees himself as needing it no more.”
Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person. It is simply the acceptance that we give everything the meaning it has for us, and we can now choose peace with the realization that there is nothing that needs to be forgiven.
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The word “meaningless” is typically associated with some negative judgment. But when the Course uses that word, it literally means “without meaning”.
In fact, toward the end of this lesson, are these lines:
“What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy.”
We get upset because of things going on in the world, other bodies, and our body.
But what we’re learning in this lesson is that the world is a smokescreen. Made by the ego to keep us rooted in the drama of the world.
When we can step back and do what the Course suggests of “letting truth be written upon the world” - instead of projecting our judgment onto the world - then we would become “indescribably happy.”
So the next time we find ourselves feeling any emotion other than total joy, we can recognize that we’re upset because we see a meaningless world. And now we can say to ourselves, “Help me to see this through the eyes of peace instead of pain.”
https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-12/
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There’s a powerful question that A Course in Miracles suggests we ask ourselves anytime we’re tempted to be angry or upset with another person. And that question is this: “Does he need help or condemnation?”
When we’re with our ego, we see all the reasons why this person deserves our wrath. They did this awful, unkind thing to us. They are not a good person - at least not in a particular moment. They were unfair. They should feel bad for what they did.
And so on.
But when we step back and ask ourselves that question: “Does he need help or condemnation?” we realize the answer is always the former. He needs help.
In fact, every awful thing anyone does (including us) is a call for help. It’s an unconscious plea that essentially says, “I don’t feel that I’m worthy of love. I am not feeling loved. I am afraid, I feel all alone.”
When we can “hear” that plea from everyone - then we can respond in the most loving way - which is without condemnation but instead with healing help.
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Our senses seem to inform us of what’s going on in the world and our body. But we have it backwards. Our thoughts determine everything we experience.
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The causes of all our experiences in dreams aren’t what other people are doing. The cause of everything is the dreamer’s thoughts. The same is true when we’re “awake”.
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I grew up thinking that Heaven was a place you attained after leading a virtuous life. And it was a magnificent venue with no lack - just complete and total bliss.
But it was conditional.
If life weren’t lived well, then Heaven would be barred. Instead, I’d be cast into a fiery pit of hell. Eternal damnation.
Talk about extreme opposites!
It was never very clear to me what the entrance criteria was for Heaven. Some people said it was based on your birth lineage. Others said it was dependent on how you lived your life and the amount of good deeds performed. And yet others suggested it was based on accepting a particular person as your savior.
But what I came to realize is that Heaven is not a destination. Nor is hell. Rather, they are both states of existence. And one of them is real, the other imagined.
Heaven is the non-dualistic, true reality of everything. We are all one and all part of this state. But we’ve dreamed a dream that we could be separate from that eternal oneness and seem to be experiencing duality in which bodies rule and drama captivates.
This line from A Course in Miracles sums it up perfectly: “Until you choose Heaven, you are in hell and misery.”
Thankfully, we can make the choice in any moment to awaken from the pain and suffering.
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What we think of as reality is an illusion. We’ve lost ourselves in slumber or story and don’t realize that what we experience isn’t real.
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When we realize the extent to which our mind is preoccupied as such, we being the process of recognizing the power of our mind - and the ability to completely change our experience.
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I used to spend a lot of time traveling for business, including countless hours sitting in airports. In most instances I was able to get away with just a carry-on, but on a few occasions I needed to bring more luggage. And in every one of those instances, I stood for a long time at the baggage carousel waiting to retrieve my suitcase.
Inevitably, on another nearby conveyor belt, a bunch of unclaimed bags would spin round and round patiently waiting for their owners to come. And this image of unclaimed luggage is a helpful metaphor for how we spend so much of our lives.
We’ve all experienced, however briefly, the peaceful bliss that comes from letting go of judgment. We feel no anger or condemnation towards anyone or anything. But often that feeling doesn’t last. We rush back to what the Course refers to as our “special friends” of sin, guilt, and fear.
We are afraid of giving up the ego because it would mean giving up our identity. Our entire sense of “self” is tied up with this body. And letting go of that is terrifying. So we cling to what we know, which includes judgment. Descartes just as well might have said, “I judge, therefore I am.”
But true peace is like the waiting luggage at the carousel. I love this lesson from A Course in Miracles: “Today I claim the gifts forgiveness gives.”
Forgiveness in the Course has nothing to do with pardoning evildoers for their sins. Rather, forgiveness is the recognition that nothing happened. Nothing needs to be atoned for. That’s what letting go of judgment is like.
The gifts that forgiveness offers include a peaceful serenity in which we are filled with a joy at the connection (and sameness) amongst everything. And those gifts are patiently waiting for us. We can claim them anytime we want.
So the next time we find ourselves lacking joy in any way, we can conjure up that baggage carousel image and mentally reclaim the package of peace, reuniting ourselves with our true identity.
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Whenever someone hurt me in some way - whether it was a verbal assault or any other unkind action - not only would I feel upset and offended, but I also wanted to do something in return.
I would often spend a lot of time, including many sleepless nights, rehashing the incident and wishing some sort of retribution for the violator.
I eventually came to realize that no amount of revenge or “karma” - either real or imagined - would make me happy. And then I discovered A Course in Miracles and these lines:
“Beware the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated.” And, “You cannot be unfairly treated.”
The meaning behind these lines is that while others may do awful, hateful, vicious things - we are responsible for the meaning we give it. And our emotions come from a choice we make in our mind, having nothing to do with what another person says or does.
So the next time we catch ourselves feeling betrayed or mistreated in some way, we can return to our mind and make the choice for peace instead of war.
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Recognizing that we see only the past begins the process of learning how to step out of time and into the blissful state of now.
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How would you like to never again feel angry?
It’s a nice thought, but is that even possible? After all, anger is the result of a fair assessment of a situation in which an unfairness of some sort has occurred.
But is it really?
Let’s step back and think about what anger really means. And we’ll use this powerful sentence from A Course in Miracles:
“Anger cannot occur unless you believe that you have been attacked, that your attack is justified in return, and that you are in no way responsible for it.”
So we have three conditions for the onset of anger: (1) we’ve been attacked or unfairly treated, (2) a counterattack by us is fair, and (3) it’s not our fault.
And all three of those can be seen in a different light when we step out of our ego mind.
When we’re in our right mind, we do not see attack - all we see is a crying out for help. And when that’s what we see, the idea of attacking back is meaningless. Instead, we channel love in whatever form is most helpful for the situation. And there is no sense of condemnation or blame.
Thus when we’re in our right mind, anger can never occur. We simply radiate a peace that embraces everyone and everything around us.
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What we think of as “reality” is just like our dreams at night. It seems real, but that’s only because we’ve identified with the dream figure instead of the dreamer.
Read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-6/
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Several of the early workbook lessons in A Course in Miracles focus on the idea that we don’t know what anything is for and that we give everything all the meaning it has for us. These support a key Course theme that “projection makes perception.”
In other words, everything we perceive in the world (and in our bodies) is something we first projected from our mind. But that’s totally different than anything we believe. We’ve taught ourselves that the world represents an objective reality in which we find our existence. Stuff happens, and our happiness or sadness is determined by the stuff that happens.
If we accept the idea that projection makes perception, then we begin the process of undoing everything we’ve learned. And a very helpful question we can ask ourselves in every encounter comes from these lines in the Course:
The test of everything on earth is simply this; “What is it for?” The answer makes it what it is for you.
When we ask ourselves this question (“What is it for?”), our first response will be from the ego. The ego always speaks first. And it is always wrong.
By patiently observing the ego in action, we return to our mind where we can make a different choice. From here, we will understand what everything is truly for. And the answer is to serve as a channel for extending love and reflecting the oneness that unites everything.
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Whenever we’re upset - it’s because we chose the ego. Not because of anything that happened in our lives or with our body.
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The reason our thoughts don’t mean anything is because they come from a source that doesn’t mean anything.
Read more in this article: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-4/
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All we need to do to experience unconditional peace is let go of judgment. Not just in action. Not just in thought. But in belief.
Our belief in judgment is what leads to the perception of bodies, separate interests, and lack.
Without judgment, we see the sameness in everyone and everything. We see no differences. We experience no separation.
But all our strain, all our suffering, all our anxiety come from the unwillingness to let go of judgment. And thus we delay our awakening from this nightmare we think of as “life”.
In truth, we will awaken to the oneness we never left. Until then, these words from A Course in Miracles exemplify our situation: “Delay does not matter in eternity, but it is tragic in time.”
We will continually enact this tragedy until we’re finally ready to turn away from judgment and return to love.
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We really don’t understand what anything means. We think we do, but we’re wrong. But there’s another way of giving meaning that leads to real happiness.
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Is there someone in your life you hold a grudge against? Thinking of them brings up feelings of anger or unfairness or disappointment. Or maybe even other negative emotions.
We’ve been wronged by this person, and the memory is painful.
There’s a line in A Course in Miracles that says, “frightened people can be vicious.” And we all know vicious people. At some point we, too, have been vicious, at least in our thoughts.
While we aren’t responsible for the viciousness of other people and their awful actions, we do get to choose the meaning we give it. Think back to Lesson 2 in the Course: “I have given everything I see all the meaning that it has for me.”
When we hold a grudge against someone - when we have bitter feelings toward another - then we are denying their equality in the Sonship. Sure their ego has acted viciously. So has ours. And both of them are calls for love, not for judgment.
There is a beautiful line in the Course that reads, “The ark of peace is entered two by two.” Obviously this is an homage to the Noah biblical story, but what it means is that peace is only found when we walk hand-in-hand with our brother - not sword against sword.
To be clear, this does not mean we simply condone hateful ego actions. But it does mean that our responsibility is to step out of our own ego so that we can respond to cries for help with love and not judgment.
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In Lesson 2, Anthony discusses the power of thought and how it is that we give everything all the meaning that it has for us.
Learn more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-2/
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This is the first lesson in A Course in Miracles. Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything. I talk about what that means and introduce the concept of mind: the wrong mind of the ego and the right mind of spirit.
You can read more here: https://livebeyondtheillusion.com/acim-lesson-1/
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When I began my career as an engineer designing computers, I fell in love with business. And not just business in general, but building and running companies. In particular, I wanted to lead a company. My dream was to be a CEO.
That goal in itself wasn’t necessarily good or bad; however my strong desire to be the CEO was definitely not helpful. I saw every encounter through the lens of “will this propel me or hold me back from my dream?”.
I’m reminded of these powerful, introspective lines from A Course in Miracles:
“What you wish is true for you. Nor is it possible that you can wish for something and lack faith that it is so. Wishing makes real, as surely as does will create. “ (T-24.V.1)
Behind every one of our wishes is a belief that it will bring us happiness. Yet it’s our beliefs that are directly responsible for how we feel.
If we want to experience joy, it has nothing to do with engineering our lives in such a way that our wishes may come true. Rather, all we need to do is look at our beliefs - and if they aren’t aligned in such a way that inner peace naturally flows through us, then we simply need to change our beliefs.
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How often have you thought about what would make you happy?
We all have our lists. If such-and-such happens, then I’ll be happy. And it doesn’t matter what such-and-such is. For some of us, it’s a number in the bank account. For others, it’s related to the health of our body or someone else’s body. For someone else it might be a job title or societal position. And for another person, it might be the removal of some negative element in their life.
It doesn’t matter who you are or how much you currently have, every single person has their own “what would make me happy” list. Everyone.
But the challenge with our premise is that any happiness we gain by the achievement of one or more list items never lasts. It’s a very thin, tenuous thread of happiness - likely to break at any moment.
We’ve all experienced times where we got something we wanted. For a moment it felt wonderful. But it didn’t take long until we either worried about losing it or it faded into the background, replaced by another list item that is now more important.
I appreciate this line from A Course in Miracles that helps clarify the fleeting nature of what we call joy: “Any seeming happiness that does not last is fear.” And if we look honestly at everything we define as happiness, we’ll see that none of those will last.
In other words, we are clinging to (and striving for) a false version of happiness, which is actually fear. Fear disguised as happiness.
The underlying fear is the letting go of the false sense of self. Who would I be without [all the things we think make me “me”]? And so we continually seek for what won’t last in the magical belief it will bring us joy.
But there’s another way of seeing - through the eyes of reason. Reason tells us that true happiness is the opposite of fear. True happiness is the recognition we are not these bodies - nor is anyone else. True happiness sees beyond the myriad forms to the oneness that unites everyone and everything. And true happiness is eternal.
In each moment we choose whether to see through the filter of the ego - which will always bring us the promise of happiness cloaked as fear, or through the lens of reason - which always leads to peace.
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Have you ever found yourself getting frustrated by another person? Maybe they did or said something that you didn’t think was appropriate. Perhaps they were being inconsiderate, thinking of no one but themselves.
We might even try to rationalize their behavior. “They’re probably having a bad day. Maybe things are really difficult in their life.”
Yet it still feels painful to us. We bear the brunt of their actions.
But we don’t need to do that.
I really like this line from A Course in Miracles: “Vision or judgment is your choice, but never both of these.” (T-20.V.4) Whenever we judge, we lose the ability to “see” accurately. What we see when we judge is the other person’s ego. And we see their ego because we’re looking from our own ego.
In fact, judgment is synonymous with choosing our ego.
Judgment is the source of all our distress. These powerful lines from the Course (lesson 301) help make that clear. “Unless I judge I cannot weep. Nor can I suffer pain.”
So the next time we feel ourselves getting upset for any reason at all, we can pause and remember, “Ahh, I must have chosen my ego because I’m judging this situation.” And then with a little willingness we can step to the side and instead allow ourselves to be a channel for peace.
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Think about how much we live in the service of our body. It clamors to us all day long. I’m hungry, feed me. I’m bored, let’s do something. I’m angry, let’s stew on this topic awhile. I’m sad, let’s dwell on why.
And when we’re fearful or in pain, that’s when we really get locked in on the body. Pain and fear are so compelling.
But we made them that way. With the purpose of rooting our attention in the body and convincing us that our bodies are a core part of our identify. When our body suffers, we suffer.
“The body can bring you neither joy nor pain. It is a means, and not an end.” (T-19.IV.B.10) When we read passages like this from A Course in Miracles, it can be very hard to accept. We’re so associated with these bodies that it’s hard to escape their attention.
But when we realize that the body “transmits to you the feelings that you want” (T-19.IV.B.14) then we can understand the dynamics at play. The body doesn’t do anything on its own. It simply responds to the mind.
When we choose the ego mind, our body becomes a prisoner of time and every negative emotion including anger, sadness, pain, and fear. But when we choose the mind of spirit, our body becomes a channel for love and we experience peace.
So the next time we’re feeling any negativity from our body, we can quietly utter this lovely prayer from the Course:
Take this from me and look upon it, judging it for me. Teach me how not to make of it an obstacle to peace, but let You use it for me, to facilitate its coming.
Wishing you much peace!
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A Course in Miracles uses the beautiful metaphor of messengers of love. These messengers are essentially envoys that we send out in search of love. And they return to us what they found.
There are also corollary agents known as messengers of fear. They, too, are sent out in search of what they value - in this case, fear - and they also return to us their “treasures”.
So, we have these two sets of messengers that we send forth into the world to bring us their findings.
But here’s the catch. We only get to send and receive one set of messengers at a time. And we know which ones we’ve sent by how we feel.
The messengers of fear “are trained through terror, are merciless even to its friends, and look for what can suffer.” (T-19.IV.A.12, T-19.IV.B.3) And what they serve up to us is every form of awfulness: fear, shame, anger, sadness, and every other negative emotion. Whenever we experience anything other than peace, we can be certain that we first sent out messengers of fear.
On the other hand, the messengers of love always lead to the wonderful feelings of peace and joy. “They will see only the blameless and the beautiful, the gentle and the kind. And they will return with all the happy things they found, to share them lovingly with you. Be not afraid of them. Theirs are the messages of safety, for they see the world as kind.” (T-19.A.14)
So the next time we’re feeling unhappy or angry or fearful, we can remember that we must have sent out our messengers of fear. And now we can choose instead to send love’s messengers.
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It can be very hard to accept that everything we experience is the result of our thoughts. Yet no matter what happens around us or to us, we give it the meaning it has for us. We choose how to see it and how to respond to it. And that choice determines how we feel.
I remember how often I would get upset over something - only to eventually realize that I had completely misinterpreted the situation. But in those moments I realized that my emotions weren’t caused by what someone said or did, rather, they were the result of my interpretation of what had happened. It didn’t really matter whether my assessment was right or wrong, what mattered was that I cared.
I was struck by how powerful my thoughts were. My entire sense of wellbeing - or unhappiness - came from my thoughts.
So then, I began to wonder, where do my thoughts come from?
I used to think my thoughts “just happened”. They just popped into my head from essentially nowhere - or, at least, nowhere I could detect. But that didn’t make much sense, particularly since I could easily change my thoughts with focused attention.
And what I eventually learned is that thoughts come from belief. There’s a powerful line in A Course in Miracles that reads, “All beliefs are real to the believer.” (T-3.VII.3) In other words, what we believe is what we make real.
Just like the frightened little child who believes there’s a monster in the closet. The fear isn’t caused by a monster. It’s simply the child’s belief. The monster is made up, but the child’s belief is real - hence the fear is real.
And our belief stems from the mind. In every moment we are choosing either the belief system of the ego mind - which leads to all our experiences of sadness, shame, guilt, fear, anger, and every other negative emotion. Basically the ego is the belief system of lack, deprivation, and separateness. We are here, we can suffer, and we are separate from everyone else.
Or, we can choose the belief system of the mind of spirit. And this leads to the awareness of our shared purpose with everyone and everything. There is no separation. There is no lack. We experience peace and calmness and joy as we realize that there is nothing to fear. In that moment we have reconnected with the source of Being-ness.
So the next time we find ourselves in a state of unhappiness, we can remember that our thoughts determine our experience, and our choice in the mind determines our thoughts. So lets choose wisely.
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The feeling of anxiousness - especially chronic anxiety - is awful. There is little experience of peace or calm. The world, and our body, is off kilter. There is no sense of relaxed breathing and everything feels like it’s on the edge of some precarious precipice.
And in such a state, it is very difficult to think deeply or find much cause for optimism. In fact, it’s a very dark place.
But there is a way out.
The goal of studying and practicing A Course in Miracles is to experience peace. Each of its lessons - and all thirty-one chapters of the text - help us understand where anxiety and all its unfriendly cousins like guilt, fear, and anger come from.
While it’s true that “our thoughts determine the world we see” (W-pI.11.1), the real question is where do our thoughts come from? Especially the anxious ones.
The answer is the ego mind. Whenever we choose the ego - which, if we’re radically honest and transparent with ourselves, is most of the time - then we’ll experience some form of distress.
But the instant we choose against the ego and for the mind of oneness (what the Course refers to as Universal Inspiration or the Holy Spirit), then we are aligned with peace.
There is a lovely prayer in the workbook that contains these lines:
I need be anxious over nothing. For Your Voice will tell me what to do and where to go; to whom to speak and what to say to him, what thoughts to think, what words to give the world. (W-pII.275.2)
Peace is ours for the choosing. We need be anxious over nothing. We simply need to recognize that we’ve chosen the ego and that we can instead make a different choice. When we do that, the anxiety melts away and we’re left with a wonderful sense of joy.
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A theme that is discussed very often in A Course in Miracles is that of the body - ours and everyone else’s. We learn that the body is nothing - it is a neutral thing onto which we project all the meaning it has for us.
But when we look about the world, and especially when we contemplate our emotional state, we think in terms of the body. How does my body feel? How are the bodies of people I care about?
When we are unhappy, it is often because certain bodily needs are not being met - either physical or psychological. So how in the world can we see beyond the body - and what does that even mean?
It helps to understand that the body (ours and everyone else’s) doesn’t “act” on it’s own. It is directed by the mind, either the ego mind or the mind of spirit. When we choose the ego, then our body is used to reinforce and perpetuate the belief that we are all separate entities struggling to get our needs met - oftentimes at the expense of someone or something else. This line from the Course makes it so clear: “The body is the ego’s idol; the belief in sin made flesh and then projected outward.” (T-20.VI.11)
On the other hand, when we choose the mind of spirit, our body becomes an instrument of peace. And while our physical eyes still see other bodies, we understand that beyond the form is the love and common purpose that unites everyone.
So our practice for today is to watch how often our vision stops at the level of the body, and remind ourselves that we can see beyond the body by choosing the mind of spirit.
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If you’re in a job you don’t enjoy - whether that’s because the work isn’t stimulating, you don’t feel fairly treated, or you don’t like your co-workers or boss - it feels pretty crappy.
Essentially there are three things you can do. The first is to do nothing, in which case you’ll keep experiencing the same stuff over and over.
The second thing you could do is to change your job. Either within the same company, or to a different one.
And the third is to change the way you think about your situation.
This powerful line from A Course in Miracles gets to the heart of the matter: “Your thoughts determine the world you see.”
Marcus Aurelius said something similar around the year 175: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
In other words, if we can manage our thoughts, then we can directly control our experiences. So where do our thoughts come from? Hint: it’s not our brain.
Our thoughts originate within the mind. Unfortunately we can’t conceptualize what mind is, since it isn’t within our sensory three-dimensional realm. Mind is outside of time and space. So trying to wrap our heads around it is futile.
There are two components to the mind: ego and spirit. They are mutually exclusive, and we are always choosing one or the other. What we can be in touch with is which we’ve chosen. And we know that by our thoughts.
Whenever we have thoughts of sadness, fear, shame, lack, or any other negative emotion, we’ve chosen the ego. When we choose the mind of spirit, or what the Course refers to as the Holy Spirit, then all our thoughts are of love, a unity with everything, and peace.
So back to our crappy job situation. We can do whatever we feel compelled to do - whether that’s sticking with the current situation or leaving. But by observing our thoughts along the way, we can recognize when we’re in our ego mind. And we can gently say to ourselves these words from the Course: “I give everything all the meaning it has for me. And I could see peace instead of this.”
Observing the ego (in us and others) - without judgment - shifts us into the mind of spirit.
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Have you ever wondered what you should be doing? I don’t mean specifically what projects you should be working on for your job or your family. But more generally, what you should be doing with life.
I remember thinking a lot as a kid, “What am I here for? What is my purpose in life?” Then I got consumed with school, career, relationships, and all those sorts of things. But behind it all, I felt this tug of “what should I be doing?”
I remember the first time I read the line in A Course in Miracles that says “I need do nothing.” And it was such a liberating thought.
Not because it means that we should sit around idle all day simply navel gazing and catering to various whims. But rather, by focusing on what I should or should not be doing, I’m making the body real - making it front and center in my life.
By letting go of the compulsion to doing, we can return to our mind where we find what the Course calls “the ultimate release”. When we choose against the ego mind, our body simply becomes a vessel for channeling love. And then we’ll find ourselves doing whatever is most helpful for every situation we’re in - with no sense of strain and no sense of “I need to do this”.
So our practice for today is to try catching ourselves feeling that attachment to doing. The simple observation returns us to the realm of wondrous peace.
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Are you where you’d like to be right now? Do you have a sense that what you are doing and how you are living aligns with your path?
So much has been written on goal setting, vision boarding, and manifesting a life you desire. But all that presupposes you are not where you should be.
The truth is that when we’re aligned with our ego, we will always believe there is more. We buy into the scarcity principle that says there is something missing in us. It might be improved health, increased wealth, stronger relationships, and so forth.
But we have no idea where we should be or how to truly evaluate our “progress”. This line from A Course in Miracles really helps put this in context: “Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success.” (T-18.V.1)
The ego will always misguide us.
However, when we step back and simply observe the ego (meaning, we’re now in the right mind of presence), then no matter where we are and what we’re doing - it’s exactly what we need to help us grow.
While there is nothing wrong with setting goals, creating vision boards, or anything else we think we desire - the key is to do them without an investment, without ego involvement. In fact, in every moment that we’re in our right mind, we are a channel for love doing whatever is most helpful for us and everyone around us. The peace we feel within embraces everyone and everything.
So our practice for today is to do all the normal things we do - but to try and observe our ego along the way. The more we do that, the faster we grow.
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It’s tempting to believe that everything around us is real, substantial, and capable of impacting us. And as long as we believe we are these bodies, that is true.
But think about dreams at night. During the dream, it seems as if the contents are real. And the main character in the dream - what we consider to be “I” - is affected by the goings-on of the various dream figures and situation.
However, when we awaken, we realize that nothing happened. We made it all up. No matter how serious the situations seemed to be, they were nothing more than an invention from our sleeping mind.
The same thing is true with what we think of as “reality.” Seemingly real, yet just another form of dreaming. In truth, “there is nothing outside you” as we read in A Course in Miracles. It’s all a projection from our mind.
And when we begin to understand this truth, we become lucid dreamers - realizing that it’s just a dream.
Our practice for today is to watch the dream figures do all the various things they do, but to remind ourselves that while a part of us believes this is real, another part can begin the process of questioning its validity. This begins the process of awakening.
Wishing you much peace!
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In every moment we can only experience one of two possible states: fear or love. Fear has many derivatives including guilt, sadness, shame, worry, loneliness, anger, boredom, and every other negative emotion you can identify.
Love is simply an unconditional joy that embraces everyone and everything.
Love is our true reality. Fear is what we experience when we deny reality.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “Whenever judgment enters reality has slipped away.” So when we’re not at peace, it’s because we’ve chosen to judge - which is another way of saying that we’re in our ego mind.
The ego always judges. It can’t do anything else. Even a mild twinge of annoyance is a judgment that things aren’t how I’d like them to be. The only way to escape judgment - and return to our awareness of love - is to choose against the ego mind.
Our practice for today is watch how often we’re in a state of judgment. But in a gentle, compassionate way. To judge ourselves for judging is simply more ego. Simply observe, “Oh, there I go judging again - I must be in my ego mind.”
The gentle kindness we show ourselves helps return awareness to our loving, peaceful reality.
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Can you imagine what it would be like to experience peace all the time? Totally independent of anything that’s going on around you.
It’s so tempting to believe that our sense of well-being comes from situations and experiences in the world and our body. We have metrics we’ve decided are the threshold of peace: things like money, bodily health, relationships, and so forth.
We believe achievement of those metrics leads to happiness.
But what if we have it all wrong?
A Course in Miracles (and many other thought systems) teach that our thoughts, alone, determine our sense of joy (or lack thereof).
Hence this line from the Course: “It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.” The Course further states: “The images I see reflect my thoughts.”
Our practice for today is simply to observe our thoughts. And if we don’t like how we’re feeling, we can begin the process of recognizing that our thoughts determine the world we see.
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It’s tempting to believe that the key to happiness lies in having our needs met. Whether that’s financial, health, relationship, reputation, or whatever - getting those needs fully met will lead to the joy we desperately desire.
But that belief - and the seeking for such fulfillment in the expectation that happiness will follow - leads us no where. It actually leads us into exactly what we don’t want. Which is more and more seeking but not finding what we truly want.
There’s an old adage that says “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Meaning: when we’re ready to let go of our limiting beliefs about the world, then we will understand the path to true peace.
This line from A Course in Miracles helps frame the concept: “Those who would see will see.” And we are all “those who WOULD see” - once we open up that little willingness to let go of our ego beliefs that happiness is outside us.
Our practice for today is to channel that “little willingness” into returning to our mind, observing all our limiting ego beliefs, and asking for help to see them through the eyes of love.
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At times we can feel terrifyingly alone. Even if we’re surrounded by others.
Deep down is the knowledge that this is not our home. And our journey here seems long and winding.
But this quote from A Course in Miracles helps us on our path:
"If you knew Who walks beside you on the way that you have chosen, fear would be impossible."
Our practice for today is to remember that in every step we take we can turn to our guide, the loving presence in our right mind, who gently leads us home.
Wishing you much peace!
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When I was very young, I would list out the things I believed would make me happy. The first one I remember was a computer. My family didn’t have enough money for a computer, but I persisted in wishing for one year after year. Then it was a bicycle. As I got into middle school, it was popularity. And on and on it went.
If only I had such-and-such, then I would be happy.
It took me a long time to realize that no matter what came into my life - no matter how adored by worldly standards - it didn’t make me happy.
This line from A Course in Miracles is a beautiful encapsulation of my experiences: “No substitute you made for Heaven can keep you from it.”
All those “things” I thought would bring me happiness were nothing but shabby substitutes for the peace of Heaven. Real happiness, real joy, real peace lies within. And nothing of the world - and nothing from other people - can keep us from that experience of internal bliss.
The experience of real joy lies simply in the recognition that all our substitutes are nothing but ego projections to keep us looking for peace where it will never be found.
So our practice exercise for today is to think about all the things we think will “make us happy,” and then remind ourselves that we can return to our right mind and see each of them through the liberating light of love.
Wishing you much peace!
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The only reason we can get upset with another person is because they remind us of something distasteful in ourselves.
While we might not actually do the things they are doing, their actions (and more importantly, the meaning we give their actions) stir something that resonates in us. Something we aren’t particularly fond of looking at within ourselves.
One of the early lessons inA Course in Miracles reads “I am never upset for the reason I think.” We think we are upset because of this other person. But this “difficult” person is simply reflecting back to us some obstacle we’ve erected that blocks against peace. And rather than viewing those barriers in us, we choose instead to dwell on their faults.
However, seen another way, our brother shifts from being the “difficult” person to becoming our “insightful teacher” who is showing us exactly where we need to look within. Consider this line from the Course: “Your brother is the mirror in which you see the image of yourself as long as perception lasts.”
So, whenever we find ourselves not at peace, consider what images our brother’s mirror is reflecting back to us. And with each of those images, ask to see it through the loving eyes of the Holy Spirit.
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I recently visited the eye doctor’s because my close up vision - like for reading - was not what it used to be. The words on the page or the screen weren’t as crisp as I was used to.
And if you’ve ever sat in one of the testing chairs, the doctor puts a bunch of different lenses in front of you comparing image after image as they fine-tune the prescription. And what amazed me was how crystal clear everything looked with the right lens - compared to how things looked with my regular eyesight.
But until you have the right lens, you just sort of accept “ok, this is what seeing looks like.”
And in many ways, that’s what choosing the ego as our teacher is like. Looking with eyesight that is poor, only not realizing how bad it is.
And choosing the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is like the new lens. Everything looks crystal clear - we see everyone in perfect perspective - which is, as one with us.
So whenever we feel any sense of anger or fear or sadness, we know we’ve put on the ego glasses. In that case, we can put on our “spirit glasses” and feel a unity and connection with everyone and everything.
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There’s a powerful sentence in Chapter 17 in A Course in Miracles that reads “Do not interfere.”
And what that line means is this: when we think we need to DO something in the world - either with our body, someone else’s body, or in some situation - then we are essentially exclaiming to the universe that:
- (a) something needs to be done
- (b) I know what it is
- (c) and I will do something to make it happen
But we can only be listening to the voice of the ego when we think we know what is best.
Another line in the Course reads, “you need to nothing”. Instead of listening to the ego - which will always lead us into pain - we can choose to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
When we do this, we’ve stepped out of the way of thinking we know what’s best and we become a channel for love.
Whatever is most helpful for the situation will automatically come through us, and we’ll be filled with a sense of peace and comfort.
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There are two ways we can experience every situation that we find ourselves in. And those two ways are based on which teacher we’ve chosen in the mind. Either the mind of the ego, or the mind of the Holy Spirit.
Let me start by reading this line from A Course in Miracles: “Every situation in which you find yourself is but a means to meet the purpose set for your relationship.”
In other words, if we choose the ego mind then the purpose of our experience is one of perpetuating some form of lack, some form of separation, some form of separate interests between us and another person.
On the other hand, when we choose the mind of love or the mind of the Holy Spirit, then the purpose of the experience is instantly transformed from one of separation to one of joining. Now we see the shared interests, the shared purpose that unites both of us. And our experience of the situation is instantly transformed from one of pain to one of joy.
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Imagine a day with no judgment. Just an in-the-moment acceptance of everything that occurs.
No matter what other people say or do to us. Let them be as hateful and vicious as they’d may. They can’t affect our calm presence unless we choose to throw peace away.
No matter what is going on with our body or other bodies we care about, we can gently accept the “is-ness” of each moment recognizing we aren’t these bodies.
When we let go of judgment, we return to our right mind of love where peace infuses every encounter.
For today, and every day, we can heed this guidance from A Course in Miracles: “Today I will judge nothing that occurs.”
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It is very hard not to equate ourselves with our body. Our entire sense of well-being is based on how the body is doing.
If my body is sick, then “I” am sick. If my body is attacked, then “I” am attacked. If my body is calm, then “I” am calm. If bodies I care about are doing well, then “I” feel good.
But we have our focus of attention in the wrong place. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “The body is the instrument the mind made in its efforts to deceive itself.”
In other words, the body is not an independent entity that experiences pain and joy. The body is nothing more than a projection from our mind. And its purpose is to keep us rooted in the misguided belief that we are here in the body and that we can suffer.
However, since the body is a projection from the mind, when we make a different choice in the mind against the ego and for the mind of spirit, then our bodies become classrooms for learning and channeling love. And our experiences in the world are shifted from pain to peace.
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There’s a very insightful, thought-provoking line in A Course in Miracles that reads, “There is no fantasy that does not contain the dream of retribution for the past.”
If we’re willing to honestly look at every desire, fantasy, or goal that we have, then behind them we’ll find some form of trying to overcome or improve on the past.
I am the victim. My life isn’t how I’d like it to be. And if I can make this fantasy come true, then things will be much better.
That kind of thinking binds us to the past and the belief that the world is the source of our joys and pains. But it’s not. We are.
Our thoughts determine our happiness. Not what’s going on in the world. And our thoughts come from our choice in the mind for either the ego - which always leads to thoughts of victim/victimizer, or the mind of love - which always leads to thoughts of peace, joy, and unity with everyone.
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When we’re in pain, it’s very hard not to feel like a victim. Whether we believe we’re deserving of the suffering or an innocent bystander makes no difference. Someone or something did this to me.
But what if our locus of identity is misplaced? What if the body has nothing to do with our reality?
Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles: “Whatever suffers is not part of me. What is in pain is but illusion in my mind.”
Pain and suffering aren’t real. They are projections from the ego mind onto bodies that we’ve chosen to identify with. But when we return to the mind and withdraw our belief from ego, we recognize our true reality. And all pain instantly melts away.
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Do you spend a lot of your time in the service of other people? Perhaps a boss, co-workers, family members, or friends and partners? If so, do you feel a sense of sacrifice - as if you are giving up something to benefit others?
Anytime we use our time (and energy) in the service of others, it’s easy to believe that we are sacrificing something of ourselves.
However, consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “You think that everyone outside yourself demands your sacrifice, but you do not see that only you demand sacrifice, and only of yourself.”
The belief in sacrifice comes from our choice for the ego. Everything of the ego is sacrifice - either us sacrificing for others or they for us. But we can release all sacrifice by making a different choice in the mind. The burden and negativity instantly melt away.
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Hell is not a fiery pit of eternal damnation that awaits us. In fact, hell is nothing more than our belief in the ego thought system.
Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles:
“There is no hell. Hell is only what the ego has made of the present. The belief in hell is what prevents you from understanding the present, because you are afraid of it.”
Escaping from our hellish experience in the world merely requires choosing against the ego mind. And we can take comfort in these words from the Course: “Be glad today how very easily is hell undone.”
No judgment whatsoever awaits us. We will all awaken to the blissful, heavenly oneness that we never left.
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We think our body is the seat of “me”. In fact, whenever anything is “wrong” with the body, we say things like “my head hurts” or “I am sick”.
But the body isn’t our home. The body is nothing more than a projection from our mind. Consider this quote from A Course in Miracles:
“The body is the symbol of the ego, as the ego is the symbol of separation. And both are nothing more than attempts to limit communication."
When we choose our ego mind, we believe we are these bodies and that other people are their bodies. And as we all know very well, bodies are limited. Not just in their capabilities, but in their function and longevity. Our bodies are in a perpetual state of lack (e.g. we regularly need to fill it with oxygen, food, water, emotional warmth, psychological meaning, etc.). And our bodies will eventually disintegrate and die.
But we are not our bodies. What we think of as “me” is the mind.
When we choose against our ego mind and for the right mind of love, our bodies then become channels of peace and we communicate all-inclusive love. We no longer experience a “me” but only a “we”.
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Our bodies do nothing. They don’t love. They don’t hate. They don’t get sick. They don’t get well. They aren’t attacked and they don’t defend.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: My body is a wholly neutral thing.
We give so much weight and significance to our body and other bodies. We think the seat of me-ness is within the body. When asked, “Who are you?” we answer in terms of bodily roles and functions.
Yet the body is nothing but a neutral thing.
All of our experiences - our range of emotions from sadness through joy and everything in between - don’t come from the body or the brain. They come from the mind.
Like a marionette’s puppet, our body does whatever the mind instructs it to do. And when we aren’t at peace, it’s only because we’ve chosen the ego mind. But we can instead make a different choice, for the mind of love, and experience a completely different outcome.
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When I’m upset with someone I care about, I am saying you did (or didn’t do) something that I wish you hadn’t. In fact, I am judging them - or at the very least, I am judging their actions.
But if I were looking through the eyes of love and saw their true nature, there could be no judgment. Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles:
“Love brings no guilt at all, and what brings guilt cannot be love and must be anger. All anger is nothing more than an attempt to make someone feel guilty.”
So the next time we are considering what love is, let’s remember that if we are upset, disappointed, frustrated, or angry with anyone then we are not extending love. Instead, we are projecting guilt.
And the most helpful thing we can do is to return to our mind and make a different choice - against the mind of war and for the mind of love.
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The ego is a very slippery character. It convinces us that we can find joy in other people. But what the ego never tells us - what it actively hides from awareness - is its cannibalistic nature.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “The ego establishes relationships only to get something.”
In other words, we enter into relationships with people because they have something we believe we need. On the surface, most of us would agree that our close relationships are rewarding to us.
But if we dig deeper, we see the getting intention. In fact, if we no longer got something out of it, we’d likely end the relationship. The whole setup reinforces a framework of scarcity and co-dependence.
If we saw our brothers as they truly are (and ourselves), then concepts such as scarcity and getting would be meaningless. We’d see the love and perfection in everything, and every one of our relationships would be holy and complete.
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I remember being surprised the first few times I attended cocktail parties and networking events. The first question people always seemed to ask one another was, “What do you do?”
Of all the things we could ask a human being we just met for the first time, why would it be “What do you do?” Obviously simplicity and cultural norms play a role, but there’s also an ego aspect behind it. We want to see how this other person compares to our ideals (and to ourselves).
I much prefer asking people, “What is it that you’re passionate about?” The ensuing conversation is much more engaging.
But even deeper than passion is what each of us is at our core. And by “is” I don’t mean job title or societal position. Rather, “who” are you?
It’s so difficult to dive into that question for ourselves or others. We typically stop at some familial role or professional title. But at our core - who we really are - is love.
This line from A Course in Miracles sums it up perfectly: “Love, which created me, is what I am.”
Imagine what it would be like truly seeing who you - and everyone - really are.
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When we seek for things in the world (or other people) to make us happy, we are convinced that the source of joy is somewhere “out there”. Our belief system might be something like, “Once such-and-such happens, then I’ll be happy.”
And as always happens with such a focus, we will be disappointed. People will let us down. Situations will go differently than we hoped. Our body will betray us.
The reason this is so is because we are looking in the wrong place. Consider this quote from A Course in Miracles: “You have so little faith in yourself because you are unwilling to accept the fact that perfect love is in you.”
By turning away from our ego mind that convinces us joy is “out there” just waiting to be found, our right mind of spirit shows us the blissful peace and unconditional joy that is within our mind.
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When we get angry or frustrated with someone, it’s because of something they did (or didn’t do) - in the past. Likewise, if we feel shame, regret, or guilt - it too is based on something from our past.
In fact, nearly all of our judgment is based on the past. But the past is gone. It’s over. It doesn’t exist. Yet we often cling to it as if it were real.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “God knows you now.” In other words, our only reality is the present moment. There are no sins we (or others) have committed that require any sort of atonement.
The regret or anger over the past and worry about the future are purely ego mechanisms to keep us away from the only reality that exists - which is now.
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How are you feeling right now? Are you at peace without a care in the world?
If not, then you are hostage to pain. Which we can all relate to.
But consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “You are host to God, and hostage to no one and to nothing.”
We all too often forget that we are “host to God” and that perfect peace is within us - simply being our right-minded choice for love. The Course further challenges us to consider this:
“Would you be hostage to the ego or host to God? Let this question be asked you every time you make a decision. For every decision you make does answer this, and invites sorrow or joy accordingly.”
In other words, in every moment we are making a decision for the wrong-mind of the ego or the right-mind of spirit. And based on that choice in our mind, we invite sorrow or joy into our experience.
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Think about a complicated situation in your life. Maybe it’s a challenging relationship or a particular grievance you’re dealing with.
Our natural inclination is to prefer peace over conflict, simplicity over complexity. Yet we seem to continually find ourselves dealing with problem after problem.
And that’s because we are secretly attracted to complications. From A Course in Miracles: “Truth is simple. Complexity is of the ego, and is nothing more than the ego’s attempt to obscure the obvious.”
By deliberately choosing problems and grievances, we are intentionally (albeit unconsciously) attempting to throw away truth. Meaning love. That’s the goal of the ego: to obscure peace by having us choose against it while not even realizing we’re doing it.
But truth and love are still there, wholly complete, simply awaiting our return to its awareness.
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In every moment we are choosing between the ego mind and the mind of spirit. We’re not aware of this choice since it occurs outside of consciousness, outside the realm of time and space.
But what we are aware of is the effect of this choice.
When we choose the ego mind, we will always experience some form of unhappiness. Whether that is fear, anger, regret, shame, sadness, etc. makes no difference. When we choose the ego mind, we will not be at peace.
But since we don’t realize the source of unhappiness, we mistakenly think it’s caused by what’s going on in the world at large, our personal world, or within our body.
This powerful line from A Course in Miracles helps clarify the dynamic: “Every decision you make is for Heaven or hell, and brings you the awareness of what you decided for.”
The “decision” being referred to is the mind’s choice for ego or spirit.
If we want peace, all we need to do is decide for the mind of peace.
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We don’t strive for too much. We strive for too little.
Everything we search for, our desire to get ahead, to reduce pain, to make life easier - all of those are setting the bar too low.
There is nothing in the world that can bring us real peace.
Consider these insightful lines from A Course in Miracles:
“Be not content with littleness. Everything in this world is little because it is made out of littleness, in the strange belief that littleness can content you. When you strive for anything in the world in the belief that it will bring you peace, you are belittling yourself and blinding yourself to glory.”
That’s why everything we strive for in the world leads to disappointment.
The Course goes on to counsel us: “Littleness and glory are the choices open to your striving and your vigilance. You will always choose one at the expense of the other.”
Let’s be vigilant for choosing glory and saying “no thank you” to littleness.
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When we’re mad, is it not because we’re upset at what someone did (or failed to do)? Or something that occurred that we believe should not have happened.
Our anger shouts to the world that something or someone is in the wrong.
But what if nothing happened? Imagine you’re dreaming at night, and in the dream someone is unkind to you. When you see the person the next day, could you be mad at them for what happened in your dream? Of course not.
But that’s exactly what we do here in what we consider to be reality. We think people or events are the source of our unhappiness. But just like our sleeping dreams at night, nothing happened. Except our choice for a thought system of victimization - namely, the ego.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred.”
The Course goes on to say, “Forgiveness sees there was no sin. It merely sees its falsity, and therefore lets it go.”
When we choose our right mind of spirit, we recognize that nothing happened. All we see is people either extending love or crying out for it. And we will respond with love and compassion - without anger, and with no judgment.
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When I am stressed, it is because I am either anxious about the future or upset over the past. Sometimes both.
We spend most of our lives dwelling on what has already gone by or anticipating - with hope or fear - what is yet to come.
But rarely are we present in the present moment. And this is what makes life hell.
Think about this quote from A Course in Miracles: “There is no hell. Hell is only what the ego has made of the present.”
When we choose the ego mind, we give up the present “now” and replace it with hell. Literally.
Of all the causes of our pain and suffering, never do we consider it be the choice for the ego.
Yet when we make a different choice for the mind of love, all our experiences are instantly transformed into peaceful reflections of heaven.
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Whenever we listen to the voice of our ego, we will be led astray. How do we know that we’ve chosen this guide? If we feel any sense of discomfort, stress, fear, pain, annoyance, guilt, shame, or sadness - then we know.
The purpose of the ego is to convince us that we are bodies, that we can suffer, and that the world (and other people) are the source of our pains and joys. And every grievance we hold reinforces this belief.
But there is a way out. A Course in Miracles teaches us: “Call not upon the ego for anything; it is only this that you need do.”
That’s it. Simply choose against the ego. And this isn’t a function of faith. We can try this in our daily lives and see how well this works. Happiness awaits but our choice.
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In every moment we experience joy or pain, peace or sorrow. And as much as we may think it’s a function of what’s going on in the world around us, it isn’t. All our sense of well-being comes from a choice we make in the mind.
Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “Earth can reflect Heaven or hell; God or the ego.”
What we reflect is determined by that choice in the mind. And if we don’t like our experience, we need merely choose again.
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In every situation, we have an opportunity to choose our response. And our response will be based on how we interpret the moment.
But what if our interpretation is wrong?
Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles: “I do not know what anything, including this, means. And so I do not know how to respond to it. And I will not use my own past learning as the light to guide me now.”
If we are wrong about the meaning we give each situation, then there’s no way we can respond in a way that will be helpful.
Our best course of action in every moment is to recognize that we don’t understand what this means, but that we can turn to a teacher, within our mind, who does. And that right mind will provide the light to guide us now.
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There is no place we can be that takes us out of union with everyone. There is nothing we can do that excludes us from the oneness of which we are a part.
Anything that seems counter to that is a mistaken belief, a “tiny, mad idea”, an illusion. A dream.
But we will all awaken to the oneness we never left. And we can take comfort in that awareness.
As A Course in Miracles so beautifully reminds us, “Where God is, there are you.”
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We all want to be happy. And we all want to experience blissful love and peace.
Thus [therefore] everything we do is in the belief that it will bring us one step closer to the goal.
But what if those things cannot be sought after?
Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles: “The search for truth is but the honest searching out of everything that interferes with truth. Truth is. It can neither be lost nor sought nor found.”
The same is true for love and peace. The more we try searching for them, the more we convince ourselves that they’re “out there” waiting for us to find and grab hold.
But we already have them. And “have” isn’t even the right word. We are them. We’ve just forgotten that.
So our job is merely to bring all our interferences (aka grievances) to this truth. And in that presence, they will disappear leaving the shining light of love that embraces us and everything.
Happiness is.
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Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “What is kept apart from love cannot share its healing power because it has been separated off and kept in darkness.”
What and who do we keep apart from love?
Each one represents a “speck of darkness” that we want to keep hidden within ourselves. A fear that we’re not quite ready to release.
But once we are ready to finally let go of our burdens, we can bring each of these grievances to the light of love and watch them dissipate into nothingness.
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When you look out on the world and see other people, particularly people you don’t like or don’t agree with, how do you feel?
Do you believe that you are in the right, and they are not?
A Course in Miracles teaches us that we can only see truth or illusion, innocence or guilt. And in every moment we can only experience one or the other. “The ego sees everyone as guilty. The Holy Spirit sees only guiltlessness.”
We can only see guilt if we’ve first chosen the mind of the ego. But when we choose the teacher of love, we can only experience unity, peace, and innocence - with everyone.
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Everyone has something to teach us. Without exception.
But when we judge or look down on someone, when we feel any sense of resentment or anger or frustration with another, then we are missing out on a perfect learning opportunity.
What we, and everyone, can learn from each situation is that we are united. The only differences between us are superficial and meaningless.
This line from A Course in Miracles helps put that into perspective: “To attack those who have need of teaching is to fail to learn from them.”
When we teach love, that’s all we’ll learn and experience.
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When I dislike or complain about anyone, I am clearly not seeing their holiness. Instead I am seeing their ego in all its pretentiousness.
But I cannot see the ugliness in someone else unless I am looking out through my own lens of ugliness.
Instead, when I choose my right mind, I’m reminded of these lovely lines from A Course in Miracles. “No one is without holiness, nor anyone unworthy of perfect love.”
From this perspective, I see the love that unites all of us. And the peace that surrounds me is exquisite.
The Course goes on to counsel us: “Fail not in your function of loving in a loveless place made out of darkness and deceit, for thus are darkness and deceit undone.”
Let us love as we are wholly loved.
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When we accuse anyone of anything - which is simply a form of blame - then we are not seeing them as they truly are. We are seeing them as we want them to be.
By seeing them guilty, we hope to perceive our own innocence. But it doesn’t work that way. When we see someone as at fault, we are reaffirming our own guilt, even though it may remain deeply unconscious.
Check out this line from A Course in Miracles: “To accuse is not to understand.
Blaming others does nothing but increase our own sense of inadequacy. And the next time we are tempted to do so, we’d be far better served seeking to understand.
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We strive so hard to find peace and relaxation in the world. All our efforts are geared toward making life better for us and the people we care about. And deep down, we all want to be loved and cared for.
But there is a love that “surpasses all understanding” which embraces everyone. Check out these beautiful lines from A Course in Miracles: “You cannot understand how much you are loved, for there is no parallel in your experience of the world to help you understand it."
When we see beyond the drama in our lives and reconnect with our true nature, we experience this love.
In every encounter, we have another opportunity to choose this loving embrace, and to share it with another.
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In 2nd grade, I had a dream one night that the teacher re-arranged the classroom such that I was sitting next to my best friend Robbie. The next morning, sure enough, the teacher announced she was changing all the desks. And I was seated next to Robbie.
I was less interested in the coincidental premonition and much more attuned to my joy at the new seating assignment. I had other friends, but Robbie was my best friend.
As I progressed through school, I had some teachers I liked, some not so much, and then there was my favorite teacher.
And so it is through life. There are degrees of goodness and badness, and at the extremes are the best and the worst. Best friend. Best boss. Best lover. Best vacation. Best meal. And so forth. Until another best comes along. Same with worst.
But all these comparisons and degrees of good & bad do nothing but separate us. I love this line from A Course in Miracles that says, “Differences in form do not matter.”
Differences in form means not only the unique physical characteristics we all possess but also “inner” traits such as personality, character, and depth.
They do not matter!
What matters is that we are all the same. Everyone. No exception.
We all share the same wrong-minded thought system of the ego that is based on fear and will do everything it thinks it needs to do to allay those fears.
We also all share the same right-minded thought system of love or oneness or spirit or divinity or any other term you want to use. This thought system reminds us of our true nature - which is a oneness joined as one. It reminds us that this world is an illusion - a cosmic dream if you will, although oftentimes more like a nightmare. But we will all awaken to the heavenly blissful oneness that we never left.
And we all share the same decision maker that in every moment is choosing between these two thought systems.
So the next time we are tempted to see degrees of goodness or badness, let’s remember that it’s all the same.
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All the drama in our lives is purposeful. But it’s not the purpose we think. The reason we believe things happen the way they do is the result of our efforts, or because of other people, good or bad luck, or other worldly causes beyond our control.
But it’s none of those.
The reason things occur the way they do is to keep us rooted in the belief that this is real and consequential. In other words, it’s a giant smokescreen. As we learn in A Course in Miracles: “The purpose of the world you see is to obscure your function, and provide you with a justification for forgetting it.”
By keeping us fixated on the drama and the goings-on with our body and other bodies, we never consider that our perspective is all wrong. That’s how the ego mind works - it convinces us we’re a body and that we can suffer.
Our function, which the ego so masterfully obscures, is to return to our decision making mind and make a different choice, choosing the mind of love instead of the ego. With that different choice, all drama instantly melts away.
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Have you ever had the feeling that this world is not your home? It might be an incredibly brief feeling - the sense that you’re an outsider in a strange land.
If so, then you will relate to these lines from A Course in Miracles:
This world is not where you belong. You are a stranger here. But it is given you to find the means whereby the world no longer seems to be a prison house or jail for anyone.
The reason we experience so much pain and suffering in the world is because we set it up that way. We made it as [what the Course calls] a “dry and dusty world, where starved and thirsty creatures come to die.” It’s not a very pleasant place.
But it’s a perfect place to prove that we are bodies, that we are separate from one another, and that we can suffer. Which is the foundation of the ego thought system.
However, when we have those glimpses into this not being home, we can return to our mind and choose against the ego and for the mind of love. “Freedom is given you where you beheld but chains and iron doors.” The prison bars disappear and we experience a shared union of wondrous peace.
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Every time I feel unfairly treated, I am mentally (if not literally) pointing a finger at someone and saying, “You hurt me.”
And if there are others who witness my wounds, they too will agree with my assessment.
But is my evaluation fair?
In not one circumstance!
In fact, anytime I perceive myself as unfairly treated, I am judging incorrectly.
These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear:
Unfairness and attack are one mistake, so firmly joined that where one is perceived the other must be seen.You cannot be unfairly treated. The belief you are is but another form of the idea you are deprived by someone not yourself.
The Course goes on to say, “Teach no one he has hurt you.”
The way we do that is by remembering that while others may say and do spiteful, vicious things, the meaning we give each situation is up to us. When we’ve chosen our ego mind, we will see every situation as proof that we are either victim or victimizer.
But when we choose the mind of love, we will always experience and channel peace.
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We get what we give. Figuratively. And literally.
When we give a gift to someone, how often do we expect or hope for some form of gratitude? Perhaps even the slightest nod of appreciation.
Of course, that’s not giving from the heart. That’s “giving to get”. When we freely offer a gift, we are completely divested from any form of acceptance.
But when we expect or desire some form of “thank you,” we are giving from a place of lack. And that’s exactly what we get back. No matter what the other person says or does.
I love this line from A Course in Miracles. “The cost of giving is receiving.” We receive exactly what we give. Not in form, but in meaning. When we give form a place of lack and need for gratitude (“I did this for you, and I hope you appreciate it.”) then we reinforce lack and a need for gratitude.
But when we give from a place of love, then we understand these lines from the Course: “It does not matter if another thinks your gifts unworthy. In his mind there is a part that joins with yours in thanking you. It does not matter if your gifts seem lost and ineffectual. They are received where they are given. In your gratitude are they accepted universally.”
Let us always give from the heart, and be grateful for what we receive.
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Misery loves company.
When things are not going well, the last thing we want to hear about is others whose lives seem superb. They have what we want. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we feel a sense of bitterness and perhaps even resentment.
On the other hand, when we learn of others who are clearly worse off than we are, we might experience pity or sadness. And we might even feel compelled to want to help them in some way. But, once again, if we’re really honest, there is a part of us that experiences a sense of relief that it’s not us. “There but for the grace of God go I.”
If we step back and look at this thought, it is insane. Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles: “Who has cause for thanks while others have less cause? And who could suffer less because he sees another suffer more?”
The Course goes on to say, “How pitiful and deprecating are such thoughts!”
Indeed.
But when we can see them for what they are, then we can begin the process of changing our thoughts. “Love makes no comparisons.” And choosing the thought system of love leads to gratitude for all and the end of misery.
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Have you ever tried to watch your thoughts? Just observe them without judgment. It’s very, very hard to do.
For one thing, we get so easily distracted. One moment we are observing, and the next thing you know, we’ve gone for a ride with one or more of the thoughts deep into some story.I can’t believe she did that. I should have said this in return. I wonder how that meeting will go tomorrow. I’m worried about next week’s doctor’s appointment.
That rabbit trails are endless. Cat: Where do you want to go? Us: Hmm … not really sure. Cat: Then it doesn’t particularly matter which way you go.
The other reason it’s so hard to objectively observe our thoughts is that we jump into judgment. We have no neutral thoughts. They all affirm our state of wellness (or lack thereof) in this seeming reality.
And yet, all our joy and sorrow are caused by our thoughts. From one of the most powerful lessons in A Course in Miracles are these lines: “It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way.”
The more we practice observing our thoughts without judgment, the more our chains of bondage are loosened. We escape our temporary sojourn into the sea of tears and re-enter the resplendent arms of peace.
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We are all our own worst enemies. Yet it’s an enemy we made up.
The reason we judge ourselves - the reason we look down on ourselves - is because we believe we are sinful. We aren’t good enough. All the mistakes we’ve made, all the ways we’ve let other people down, all the misery simply prove this is so.
But it’s not so. It’s a mistaken belief. Purposive, but still mistaken.
The purpose of choosing such negative thoughts is to perpetuate the ego’s belief that we are separate from one another and separate from our source - which is love.
We can heed this guidance from A Course in Miracles: “Lay down the cruel sword of judgment that you hold against your throat.”
The Course helps us understand the source of all negative self-perception: “Call it not sin but madness, for such it was and so it still remains. Invest it not with guilt, for guilt implies it was accomplished in reality. And above all, be not afraid of it.”
By laying down all defenses and self-judgment we enter into the presence of peace.
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Everything I see is an experience of what I’m feeling within me. That idea runs so counter to everything we’ve taught ourselves. Namely, that our feelings result from the experiences we have in the world. But we have it backwards. Whatever we feel, we then project out onto the world and experience it there.
This vivid passage from A Course in Miracles makes it so clear: “You will look upon that which you feel within. If hatred finds a place within your heart, you will perceive a fearful world, held cruelly in death’s sharp-pointed, bony fingers. If you feel the Love of God within you, you will look out on a world of mercy and of love.”
So, what am I seeing in the world? Do I see fear, anxiety, and pain? If so, then I am looking out from a heart of hatred. When I choose love within, I can only experience love without. Anything other than love helps me to remember that I’ve made a mistaken choice within my mind.
The Course goes on to suggest that the way out of allowing hatred to rest in our heart is by bringing to the light of truth each obstacle to peace that we’ve erected between ourselves and love. Every grievance we hold - whether it’s murderous rage or simply mild annoyance - affirms a belief in scarcity, inequality, and fear. And with each of those, we simply recognize that we’re seeing them through the mind of fear and can make a different choice for the mind of peace.
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Where is the past? Literally, where is it?
Is it hanging around somewhere in the world? Is it in some eternal repository being held future judgment? Is it stuck to the bottom of your shoe?
No, no, and no.
The past is gone. It’s over. It is completely non-existent. Only in our thoughts do we make it real.
A Course in Miracles succinctly states, “The past is not in you. Your weird associations to it have no meaning in the present.”
But our “weird associations” - meaning, our thoughts about it - give the past so much weight. It is we who carry around this heavy burden by our thoughts.
To let the past go, to let all the weight of discontent disappear, is accomplished by changing our thoughts. “Change but your mind on what you want to see, and all the world must change accordingly.”
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Each time we’re tempted to get frustrated or upset, it’s helpful to remember that we’re actively choosing to not be at peace. Other people very well may have done unkind things toward us. But that has nothing to do with who we are. Unless we choose not to see it that way.
All negative emotions like anger, sadness, and fear come from an underlying sense of unworthiness, or guilt. And because we don’t like having that guilt, we do what everyone does - we project it out. And we hope that by seeing guilt in others, it has magically disappeared from us.
So by choosing to see ourselves as unfairly treated, we can point a finger at someone else and say, “There’s the guilty one!”
But as we all know, projecting guilt doesn’t do anything to lessen our deep sense of unworthiness. In fact, it does the exact opposite - it strengthens it. These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles help make it clear:
When you condemn a brother you are saying, “I who was guilty choose to remain so.” You could as easily have freed him from the past, and lifted from his mind the cloud of guilt that binds him to it. And in his freedom would have been your own.
We can use all our negative emotions as triggers to remind us that we are condemning - either another person, situation, or even ourselves. And with that trigger reminder, we can gently make a different choice in our mind.
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My family got a cat when I was young. It was an “indoor / outdoor” cat - meaning that it would come inside for food and sleep, but spend most of the day outside playing and, presumably, hunting. And like all pet owners, we gave the cat a name. The cat was no longer an independent entity; it was “our” pet. And because the cat tended to sleep in my bed the most, it went from being “our” pet to “my cat”.
Any time we name something, we are giving it some sort of meaning for us. I love these lines from A Course in Miracles:
“You gave names to them, establishing perception as you wished to have perception be. The nameless things were given names, and thus reality was given them as well. For what is named is given meaning and will then be seen as meaningful; a cause of true effect, with consequences inherent in itself.”
We have no choice but to use names and carve up reality into discrete entities such as bodies, animals, particles, space, an so forth. But when we can remember that we give everything all the meaning it has for us, the weightiness of any situation melts away.
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I suffered from an addiction to email. Because I got so many messages each day, I had to keep checking email in order to stay on top of everything coming in. Or so I told myself.
It would have been far more practical to check email just a few times per day. That way I could get my most important work done without being distracted. But I couldn’t help myself - I had to keep checking mail. It didn’t even feel like a conscious choice - it just happened.
Choosing our ego is much the same way. Seeing ourselves as victims (or victimizers) seems like it just happens without much choice on our part. This choice always leads to feelings of sadness, lack, anxiety, and guilt - basically all manifestations of fear. This line from A Course in Miracles helps make it clear: “Whenever fear intrudes anywhere along the road to peace, it is because the ego has attempted to join the journey.” But there is a way out.
The first step is an intellectual understanding that we are making the choice, however unconscious it may seem. I was the one checking email - no matter how I would have liked to admit otherwise.
The second step is putting the intellectual awareness into practice. In the case of email, by keeping the app closed and scheduling times in the day for checking and processing email. No other times was I “allowed” to check. Of course, it took some time for this new behavior to become a habit. But once it did, the results were extraordinary.
Likewise, for our habitual choice for the ego, try imagining it as an application that we currently have open and running all the time. It’s always pinging and beeping and creating all sorts of cues to suck us in. Now in that mental picture, imagine closing the app. Know that there will be plenty of “opportunity” at another point in time to re-open it and see what’s going on. But the more we practice keeping the app closed, the easier it becomes to continue the practice - and even better - the more peaceful we feel.
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When I was a little kid, my favorite book was Horton Hears a Who! In the story, the elephant Horton hears a tiny speck of dust speaking to him. He tries to convince all his friends in the jungle that there are people living within the dust mite - in fact, an entire town called Whoville. But the other jungle inhabitants mock Horton and conspire to destroy the speck of dust. Until, at last, the Whoville community makes enough noise that the other jungle animals finally hear, following which they shift their allegiance and work to save the people of Whoville.
Each time I read the book - even knowing the conclusion - I’d anxiously wonder if the Whos would be recognized and returned home.
In a sense, within every one of us is a tiny Who longing to return to its home.
But all the “noise” in our lives - striving to get our bodily needs met, concern over the future, regret or triumph over the past, worry about our loved ones, etc. - prevent us from hearing this gentle voice.
However, we can all channel our inner Horton and hear this still, small voice that speaks for love. This line from A Course in Miracles gives us the means: “I will be still an instant and go home.” When we quiet the “outside world” of bodies, problems, goals, and fears then we hear “the call which cannot be denied.” We exchange defenselessness for “all the toys of battle you have made.”
This is the homeward journey to peace.
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I have a cart full of groceries, and I’m ready to checkout. There are two lanes to choose from. One seems like it will be faster than the other, and I’m in a bit of a hurry to get to a previously scheduled, somewhat important meeting. I choose what appears to be the faster lane. Only to quickly realize that I made the wrong choice. But it’s too late to switch because the other lane now has more customers in line.
Ever have that experience?
Our first thoughts might be something along the lines of Why does this happen to me? or Why can’t they add more baggers to help? or What is taking so long for this person to pay?
Very frustrating, right?
But here’s the irony of the situation - our frustration has nothing to do with what is happening.
I love how Eckhart Tolle puts it: Ninety-five percent of our unhappiness is not due to what we consider to be bad situations but rather is caused by our mental commentary about those circumstances. What’s going on in the checkout lines is totally neutral - neither good nor bad. It just “is”. But our mental commentary about it is what causes all the pain. Why is this happening? I’m going to be late for my meeting? Why don’t they open up another lane? And our ego is off to the races.
This quote from A Course in Miracles explains why we persist in choosing to be seemingly unfairly treated: “The ego’s need for grievances is necessary to maintain the world you see.” Holding on to grievances perpetuates the ego. That’s why we keep “attracting” such experiences - because we cling to the ego.
When we shift our awareness to the mental commentary about each situation (which is a synonym for the ego), we can impartially observe it and then gently set it aside. The experience is far better.
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When I was growing up, my best friend’s parents were born again Christians. I didn’t really understand the concept of “born again” but I got the gist of it from their behavior and perspective on life. Especially their focus on “sin”.
For me, the term “born again” held a very “religious” and somewhat oppressive feeling to it, particularly from adherents who staunchly advocated that their way was the way. If you didn’t follow the proper “way”, you were damned. This seemed as crazy to me as my first introduction to Judaism at a young age. While I was born into a jewish family, it was impossible for me to accept many of the tenets. How could this so-called infinitely loving presence known as God have a chosen race - as if one group of people were more preferential or better than another? The whole concept seemed so silly and childish. Until I realized that the God of all these religions was not the infinitely loving presence of oneness, but rather a “god” that we created in our own image.
Love can’t be anything other than love. Real love can’t have preferences or sects or conditions for entry.
But when we define love from an ego perspective, then we get exactly what we have. Separate interests, divisions, hate, conditional love, lack, fear, guilt, and, of course, sin. We get the whole package of damnation.
It’s all wrong. A crazy dream. A tiny, mad idea. One we can escape by letting go of the past.
I love this line from A Course in Miracles: “To be born again is to let the past go, and look without condemnation upon the present.” If we carry the past with us, even from five minutes ago - even five seconds ago - then we are denying and obscuring the present.
But by letting the past go, we see everyone as they truly are. Infinite oneness, of which we are all a part. In that moment we are born again into the oneness we never left.
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When I’m in my ego mind, I see the past in everyone and everything. I remember how you hurt me before, and I don’t want that to happen again. Or, this person has great character and integrity - I want to spend more time with them. And similar such mind musings.
We don’t see people as they truly are - we see them based on our analysis. Analysis being a euphemism for judgment. And all our judgment comes from the past. But the past isn’t real - we make it up in every instant.
There’s a wonderful passage in A Course in Miracles that talks about true perception. In such a state, “You perceive a brother only as you see him now. His past has no reality in the present, and so you cannot see it. Your past reactions to him are also not there.”
When we see people in the “now”, with no past - meaning, no judgment - then we see their true nature as all-inclusive spirit. We see no separation between them and us.
But if we react to anyone with anything other than love, then, in the words of the Course, “you see but an image of him that you made and cherish instead of him. If you remember the past as you look upon your brother, you will be unable to perceive the reality that is now.”
True perception is seeing without the darkened lens of the ego. Everything is then seen in the liberating light of love.
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How powerful are thoughts? They are the source of everything we experience.
Reality, as we understand it, is nothing but an interpretation of what we believe is going on around us. Much like Plato’s cave dwellers, mirrored in the words of A Course in Miracles, “Your thoughts determine the world you see.”
The Course goes on to say, “Everything you see is the result of your thoughts. Life is thought.”
Have you ever known someone who continually radiated a sense of inner joy and peace? They are kind with a gentle smile that beams through every encounter. Their happiness has nothing to do with any measure of “worldly success”. In fact, their lives are often the antithesis of what the world would call “rich” or “successful”.
Yet there’s no escaping their infectious level of joy.
They’ve discovered “the secret”. Everything we experience is the result of our thoughts.
That’s why the Course - and every other non-dualistic thought system - encourages us to honestly, and gently, look at what we’re thinking. “It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.”
The key is shifting awareness from the daily drama back to the source of thought, which is our mind’s decision for one of two thought systems: ego or presence. The ego mind leads to thoughts of good/bad, attack/defense, victim/victimizer, and other forms of lack, duality, and suffering.
The mind of presence leads to nothing but thoughts of love, peace, and shared purpose. Our eyes no longer stop on externals such as individual bodies and personalities but go beyond form into the love that unites us all. We see in everyone either an extension of love or a crying out for it. And our response becomes a channel of love in its most helpful form for the situation.
This is what it feels like in the presence of those who’ve discovered that life is thought. They understand these lines from the Course: “My holy brother, think of this awhile: The world you see does nothing. It has no effects at all. It merely represents your thoughts.”
It is our thoughts alone that cause us pain. And it is our thoughts alone that can bring us joy.
So in those times when we aren’t blissfully happy, let’s remember that we’ve temporarily chosen the source of painful thoughts - which is the ego mind. And then we can return our awareness to the decision making mind and make a different choice.
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Three words can change your life. They have mine. And they are perhaps the most popular - and most often quoted - words from A Course in Miracles: "projection makes perception.”
Here’s how it works: in every moment, we are projecting out the contents of our mind. Those projections result in every thought and experience we have. So our perception of everything is nothing but “seeing” what we first projected out.
This is such a foreign concept, radically challenging our mistaken belief that the world (and other people) exist separate and apart from us. They don’t. It's all a projection from the mind.
So what is in the mind, and how can we live a more peaceful, happy life? That depends on which mind we’ve chosen - of which there are two. The ego mind and the mind of spirit.
The ego mind consists of fear and guilt. It is the belief that we have separated from oneness, are lacking and lonely, and require things from outside to bring us peace. Such as other people to love and comfort us, material possessions to occupy and enrich us, and substances to sustain our bodily needs and urges.
The mind of spirit is the opposite of the ego in every regard. It consists of nothing but love. And it reminds us of our true nature as a “oneness joined with one”.
The real “us” are not these bodies. Rather, we are the decision making part of the mind that is, in every moment, making the choice for either the ego or spirit. And all our experiences in the world simply show us which mind we’ve chosen. If we don’t like what we see, we can return to the mind and make a different choice.
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Let’s explore the range of emotions we experience. Desire. Joy. Pain. Contentment. Anger. Frustration. Happiness. Disappointment. Anxiety. Hope. Suffering.
The list is long. And sometimes we experience a sweeping array of emotions in the scope of even a single day.
But our emotions lie. They tell us what we want to experience, not reality.
An incredibly powerful concept in A Course in Miracles teaches that we have just two emotions, love and fear. Love is real - being our true, timeless nature. Our essence is love! And so is everyone else’s.
Fear, on the other hand, is something we made with the sole intention of proving that we are real in order to reinforce the belief that we can suffer.
Here is the passage from the Course:
"You have but two emotions, love and fear. One is changeless but continually exchanged, being offered by the eternal to the eternal. The other has many forms yet one thing in common; they are all insane. They are made [by you] of sights that are not seen, and sounds that are not heard.”
Whenever we’re not experiencing anything but love - which manifests itself in the world as joyful peace - then we can remind ourselves that we’re clinging to a self-made form of fear. And because we made it up, we can change our mind.
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We carry the past with us wherever we go. Every reaction we have - in every single encounter - comes from a past reference point. This is why it’s so hard to let go of times we were unfairly treated. And this is why it seems like the same situations keep recurring again and again in our lives.
It’s not that we’re being punished by a punitive God or that we’re repaying some karmic debt. Rather, we do this to ourselves by choosing to step out of the present moment. These lines from A Course in Miracles help clarify how this dynamic works:
“Now” has no meaning to the ego. The present merely reminds it of past hurts, and it reacts to the present as if it were the past.
Thus we’re always living in the past, and creating more of the same in our “present”. Until we realize that we can completely let go of the past by letting go of the ego.
The right mind of the Holy Spirit brings us into the present moment of being-ness. The past, and all its hurts, dissolve. In its place is a peaceful, eternal, timeless “now”.
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The most joyful moments of life come when I’m in a state of inner peace. Everything I look on softly glows with gentle compassion. And my spine tingles with warmth.
But when I’m not in that state, all hell rages around me - and within.
I’m reminded of this phrase from A Course in Miracles: “In peace you need nothing and ask for nothing. In war you demand everything and find nothing.”
When we are with our ego mind, we are literally at war. We have needs that must be met, oftentimes at the expense of others. We’ve exchanged grandeur for littleness and serve the master of scarcity. But as we’ve all learned time and again, we never find what we’re looking for.
That is, until we’re willing to relinquish our attachment to the ego mind and make a different choice. One that results in an incredibly calming peace where we need do nothing.
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The past is so rich with history and drama. Especially our personal dramas of the times when things went well and particularly those moments when we were the victim. And for many, the negative recollections far outweigh the positive ones.
But does the past serve us? We might argue that all our learnings from the past enable us to function today. All of our abilities like walking and talking are things we learned in the past.
But outside of skill development necessary for functioning in the world, what value is there in clinging to the past - especially those moments where we suffered?
Oftentimes our past is heavy baggage we carry with us wherever we go. It weighs us down in the daily slog we call life. But imagine how nice it would feel to set that burden down.
We can do that by letting go of guilt. A Course in Miracles teaches, “You can hold on to the past only through guilt.” Feelings of unworthiness and all other forms of self-judgment staple us to the past.
By honestly recognizing “I am not that” frees us from all forms of attack. Relinquishing our tight grip on guilt, we become aware of our perfection, united with everyone else. In so doing, we “walk with lightened steps along the road that suddenly seems easy.”
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I was a child riding on the back of a bicycle, barefoot, with my feet resting precariously on the outside axle pegs of the rear tire. We hit a bump and my foot slipped into the spokes of the wheel, jamming the tire which caused a rapid, skidding stop. The pain was excruciating.
Even recalling the experience now, so many years later, still evokes the awful feeling of the moment.
But like everything with our body and mind, we made them for the express purpose of experiencing pain, fear, guilt, and depression. If I can suffer, it proves that I am here, this is real, and that it’s not my fault. Such a belief can only lead to despondency.
But only if we identify our sense of “me” with this individual self. As we read in A Course in Miracles, “When you equate yourself with a body you will always experience depression.” We’ve forgotten our true nature as spirit - united in oneness - and have adopted an insane belief that we could be separate from everything.
Only in that mistaken belief - what the Course refers to as the ego mind - could we experience any misery. When we choose against the ego and return our awareness to the oneness we never left, then all sense of “self” disappears. Pain, fear, guilt, and depression melt away - instantly dissolving into nothingness.
And we’re left with a “tremendous release and deep peace” that truly surpasses all understanding.
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Ken Wapnick (one of the key people responsible for bringing A Course in Miracles into the world) taught this very powerful analogy for kindness: Imagine you are walking out of a building. And just outside, you see a little child crying, all alone, tears streaming down its face. Would you step around the child and continue on your way, or would you seek out the parents of this baby?
Then Ken would offer this truism: inside of everyone is that frightened little child crying out for love. No matter how deftly they’ve covered up the pain, no matter what mask they’re wearing, no matter what they do - still is this true.
Ken shared this line from the philosopher Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE): “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
We all know the “hard battle” we fight - as well as those close to us - but rarely do we see and understand that battle in everyone else. We are all striving to get our needs met in the world while attempting to avoid pain as much as possible. The forms that battle takes are different for each of us, but the underlying content, or meaning, is the same.
Our choice - and everyone else’s choice - for the ego mind is the cause of all pain, the source of every battle. When we can recognize that, then we will see the frightened child in everyone, their pleading cries for love. And we can respond with the healing, uniting energy of love.
Be kind.
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We remember the past. We anticipate the future. But we can only exist in the now. This line from A Course in Miracles redefines how we think about linearity: “The present is the only time there is.”
Time is merely a dimensional tool, like length or width. It has no reality on its own. Yet we’ve co-opted it to rule our lives. All our emotions surround the past and future. I’m angry about something that happened yesterday, last year, in my childhood, or perhaps even past life. Or, I’m worried about what might happen with the world, my kids growing up, death of people I care about, my death.
There’s not a single emotion we can experience in the present moment other than peace. Yet rarely do we visit the “only time there is”.
And there’s good reason for it.
We’re terrified of the now. We build our entire lives around distraction and avoiding the present moment. Because in that instant, there is no “me”. Our entire sense of self dissolves in the present.
Yet all our strain, pain, and fear come avoiding it.
But recognizing this fact is the first step toward transcending time and living in the blissful eternity that awaits such a timeless awareness.
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How do you like sitting in traffic jams - especially when there is no clear reason why traffic is stopped? How about waiting in a long line at the grocery store or the post office or any other such slow queue? How do you feel when you’re waiting for someone to get back to you on something important - but you haven’t heard from them despite repeated reminders?
Do you get restless or annoyed when you’re faced with long delays? If you’re like most of us, patience is not your strongest attribute.
Consider this provocative line from A Course in Miracles: “Your patience with your brother is your patience with yourself.”
When we are impatient with others, we attack ourselves.
The most helpful thing we can do in any situation is to be kind. Especially with ourselves. By looking inward with gentle compassion, we tap into our right mind of spirit. And from here, we become a channel for love - both for ourselves and anyone else involved in the particular situation.
In such a state, we experience an incredible peace. As the Course goes on to say, “infinite patience produces immediate effects.”
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This very challenging line from A Course in Miracles is quite hard to accept: “The purpose of all seeing is to show you what you wish to see.”
It flips the whole world of cause and effect on its head.
How does it work? The Course explains it:
“You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite. Your perception is the result of your invitation, coming to you as you sent for it. Two ways of looking at the world are in your mind, and your perception will reflect the guidance you have chosen.”
Those two ways of looking are either with the ego or the mind of spirit.
“Remember always that you see what you seek, for what you seek you will find. The ego finds what it seeks, and only that. It does not find love, for that is not what it is seeking.”
That is why we are unhappy. It has nothing to do with what’s going on in the world. Sadness, anger, fear, and every other such emotion are the result of choosing the ego mind.
Understanding the dynamics of the ego - and then choosing against it - is the only way out of the hell we’ve made.
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Everything I’m afraid of is an idol for me. Each has substantial influence over my life. I’ve given away my sense of peace to every one of my fears.
I essentially say to each fear, “You own me. You dominate my psyche. I experience strong emotions when I think about you.”
In a sense, our attachment to fear is so strong that we become enmeshed with it. And then we lose ourself. Consider this line from A Course in Miracles: “Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself.”
When we identify with fear, we lose sight (literally and figuratively) of who we are. Not only have we become stranger to ourselves, but so have everyone else. Everyone we look at - each encounter we experience - is stranger meeting stranger, no matter how “well” we may know the other person.
But when we bring each fear to the light of truth, they disappear into the nothingness from which they came. And with great relief and incredible peace, we remember who we are - including everyone else.
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This line from A Course in Miracles can’t help but cause a wry chuckle: “Resign now as your own teacher … for you were badly taught.”
We’ve certainly taught ourselves a lot that hasn’t served us well. Believing that the world holds something of value and can also be a place of danger. That other people can make us happy as well as cause great sadness. And perhaps most powerful of all, that this concept of “me” (and others I care about) will live for a little while and then die.
We’ve mastered these learning lessons to such an extent that we don’t even question the framework on which they’re built.
But the world’s curriculum is a lie. It isn’t true.
Yet there is another teacher whose learnings lead to an exquisite peace. The lessons are learned not in pain but joy.
Parting ways with our dysfunctional teacher and choosing instead the teacher of oneness, we learn to become channels of love.
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When you interact with other people, what do you see? Perhaps their physical body, specific personality, and underlying character? Following which, we generally judge people based on how we feel. If we like or admire them, then we might say they are “good”. If we’re turned off or even despise them, then they are “bad”.
What we see - and how we assess them - is based on our own interpretation. In fact, in every encounter with other people, we act based on how we comprehend the situation.
However, there’s a very challenging line in A Course in Miracles that calls into question that assessment: “What you do is determined by your perception of the situation, and that perception is wrong.”
Everything we see with our eyes merely shows us what we want to see, based on a choice we’ve made in the mind. When we’ve chosen the ego, we see people that are good and bad. We see situations that are helpful and others that hurt. But never do we see truth.
Until we make a different choice in the mind, against the ego and for the mind of spirit. Then, in the words of the Course, we will “see no one as a body”. Instead, we see beyond the physical form of everything and perceive the love and oneness that unites us all. When we do that with each person we meet, we are, in these beautiful words from the Course, “acknowledging that he is one with you in holiness.”
Let's practice seeing no one as a body, but rather seeing everyone as one with us in holiness.
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We think other people have the power to make us happy or sad. In fact, we all have examples of times we’ve either been the victim of someone else’s cruelty or moments where we’ve perpetrated unkindness toward another.
While we aren’t responsible for what others say or do, we choose how we feel about it. That is a very challenging concept to accept: our feelings are not caused by what is happening around us, rather our feelings are chosen (mostly unconsciously) by us.
Consider this provocative line from A Course in Miracles: “Everyone convinces you of what you want to perceive.” The way it works is this: we first make a choice in our mind for either the ego or the mind of spirit. Then, in whatever situation we find ourselves, we will experience exactly what we’ve chosen in our mind.
If we’ve selected the ego, then we’ll experience some manifestation of fear, guilt, anxiety, unhappiness, or lack. That’s all the ego is, and as such, that’s all we can possibly experience.
On the other hand, if we choose the mind of spirit, then all our encounters will be filled with peace and extensions of love. It makes no difference what other people are saying or doing. What matters is the choice we’ve made in the mind.
That’s the secret to happiness. Recognizing that when we’re not happy it’s only because we’ve chosen the ego - there is no other cause - and then making a different choice for the mind of love. As the Course goes on to say, “the results [of choosing against the ego] will convince you that this is true.” And those “results” are peace and joy.
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There is one simple test we can use to determine our level of peace in any situation. How invested are we in the outcome?
If we have a strong desire for the situation to turn out a certain way, then we know our investment is high. If we want a person to change (either their behavior or their thought patterns), then once again, we can be certain that our vested interest is substantial.
And one telltale sign of investment is how firmly we assert our opinion - even if it’s just to ourselves. As A Course in Miracles succinctly states, “Insistence means investment.” The more we insist on things being a certain way, the greater our investment. And, consequently, the less our level of happiness.
One of the most popular - and often quoted - lines in the Course is this: “Do you prefer that you be right or happy?” Whenever we are insistent, we are clearly declaring our preference to be right.
When we let go of our insistence - which only occurs by choosing against the ego - then our investment in any situation immediately drops to zero. It’s not that we don’t have a preference in things being a certain way, but our sense of peace or happiness is completely independent of the outcome.
Imagine living in each moment with no cares and no worries! That’s what the world is like without insistence. That’s what choosing against the ego feels like. And that’s what we can practice anytime we find ourselves wanting things to be different than they are.
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When “stuff” happens in the world - especially things that are not to our liking - we judge and get taken over by our emotions.
“This isn’t how I want things to be. Why is this happening? If only …” That could be the mantra of the ego: “If only …”. A Course in Miracles teaches us that our ego literally screams, “I want it thus!”
But consider how much our judgment and emotions change the reality of the situation. Answer: not at all.
The irony is that we are doubly upsetting ourselves. First by experiencing what we consider to be a “bad situation” and then again by choosing emotions that bring us down further.
But when we accept the “is-ness” of every moment, we are following the guidance of the Course that says, “Step back and let reality lead the way.”
This doesn’t mean that we renounce the world or ignore what is going on. We simply recognize that every moment is an opportunity to choose peace. And when we make that choice, then we can address the situation in a way that will be most conducive to learning and channeling love. This road, in the words of the Course, “leads away from loss of every kind.”
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If we hate one person, no matter how despicable their behavior, then we are excluding everyone.
Love isn’t conditional. If you love one person but not another, then it isn’t real love. Of course the form of our love - how we demonstrate it in our lives - is different for each relationship. But the underlying content of love is all-inclusive.
This does not mean we tolerate or condone awful behavior in others (or ourselves). But what it does clarify is that if we ourselves are not at peace (e.g. we’ve chosen emotions such as anger or guilt) then there is no possible way we can respond from a place of love. And no possible way that we can be helpful in the situation.
So whenever we find ourselves hating or being angry, we can remind ourselves that we’ve chosen our ego mind. When we instead choose the mind of the Holy Spirit - otherwise known as the mind of love - then we will be at peace. And from here, whatever words or actions are most helpful for the situation will automatically flow through us.
In the inspiring words of A Course in Miracles, “Do not let your hatred stand in the way of love.” When we let go of the onerous weight of hatred, our love embraces everything, excluding no one. And the resultant peace we experience is extraordinary.
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What we see in others is really what we see in ourselves. We can’t experience ugliness in someone else unless we’ve first looked within, chosen the mind of ugliness (ie. the ego), and now believe we are seeing it on the outside.
In truth, everyone around us is either extending love or crying out for it. It doesn’t matter what form the crying out takes, it is still true.
A Course in Miracles teaches us that “fear and love are the only emotions of which you are capable.” And the purpose of fear is to conceal love.
When we choose the ego mind, we are intentionally concealing love. So when we look out at the world, other people, and our own body, we will see some form of fear materialized. Those emotions include anxiety, sadness, anger, resentment, emptiness, longing, and so on.
But when we choose the mind of the Holy Spirit - the only emotion we experience is love, which expresses itself as joy, happiness, and peace.
When we hear our brother crying out for love - meaning that we see beyond the fog of form which disguises his crying out as an attack - then our own call for love has been answered.
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Have you ever been in a conversation with another person and felt upset or disappointed by what they were saying? Maybe they were being arrogant or insensitive or unkind. Perhaps you’ve even experienced such frustration when reading the news.
It is so obvious to us when someone else is not behaving as they ought to be. A part of us would like to help them see the error of their ways, and another part feels the kind thing to do would be to take the high road and say nothing.
But it doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do. What matters is that it matters to us.
In other words, we’ve chosen to judge the other person and then we experience the pain.
A Course in Miracles offers some sage advice in this situation: “Only appreciation is an appropriate response to your brother.” The text goes on to say, “Gratitude is due him for both his loving thoughts and his appeals for help, for both are capable of bringing love into your awareness if you perceive them truly.”
In fact, the Course make it very clear: “All your sense of strain comes from your attempts not to do just this.”
That doesn’t mean when someone is behaving badly we simply ignore it with our head in the sand. What it does mean is that when we can see it not as an attack but rather as a “call for love”, then we can respond in a way that would be loving and most helpful. That very well might be doing or saying something to the other person, but it will be coming from a place of peace - with no judgment and no vested interest in the outcome.
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Here is a line from A Course in Miracles that totally swipes the rug out from under our judgmental ego’s feet: “The analysis of ego motivation is never without your own ego involvement.” In other words, when we try to understand why a person behaves the way they do, we are looking at them with our own ego. No matter how well-intentioned we are. It is impossible to analyze anyone without first having chosen our ego as judge and jury.
But there is a way that we can see others with proper clarity. And that’s by letting go of the ego as our teacher and choosing a different guide - the right mind of the Holy Spirit. When we do that, these beautiful lines from the Course light our path of understanding: “Every loving thought is true. Everything else is an appeal for healing and help, regardless of the form it takes.”
No matter what someone says or does, it is either an expression of love or an appeal for help. Regardless of the form it takes! The Course goes on to ask, “Can anyone be justified in responding with anger to a brother’s plea for help?”
Any time we’re tempted to feel anger, resentment, or fear we can recognize that we are judging the situation with our ego. And our inner judge rules, “Guilty!” But we can make a different choice and see everything through the loving eyes of spirit. Peace is the immediate outcome.
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Heaven is not a place we are granted entry as a result of various worldly deeds or affiliations. There is nothing we need to do, nor any organization or tribe in which we need to belong in order to curry favor with a judgmental gatekeeper.
No person, religion, or spiritual path is “the way”. All ways lead home. And each of us chooses the path we walk in this particular dream (incarnation). As we learn in A Course in Miracles - one of thousands of such paths - “Heaven is within you.” Nowhere else.
That reflection of eternal bliss and infinite peace is within our mind. Awaiting but our choice against the ego mind of separate interests, attack, and fear and for the mind of love. We know we’ve chosen the ego whenever we’re not at peace. Whenever we see other people as different from us (different in purpose, obviously not in form). Whenever we believe our happiness and sadness result from what’s going on in the world or our body.
And when we catch ourselves having chosen the ego mind, we can gently remind ourselves to choose again.
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Most of us believe that our perception of the world is a fairly accurate portrayal of reality. Our various sense organs (especially the eyes and ears) bring us data from the world, and our brain processes that information in such a way to craft a framework for reality.
And it all seems to hold together just fine, even though we experience widely varying degrees of emotion from euphoric happiness to the depths of despair.
But rarely do we question the basis on which our entire thought system rests.
If we are a part of and inseparably connected to infinite oneness, how could we possibly experience anything other than peace? The answer is that we can’t. Yet we can believe we do.
From A Course in Miracles: “What you perceive is your interpretation.” In other words, everything that we experience is not reality, but rather our interpretation of reality. Hence all our emotions are not caused by anything going on in the world or our bodies. Our emotions stem from our interpretation of the world.
And all interpretation results from a choice in the mind (not the brain). When we experience anything other than peace, it isn’t because reality contains conflict. Lack of peace comes from choosing the ego mind. And nothing else.
If we want a different experience, all we need to do is make a different choice in the mind (choosing against the ego and for the mind of the Holy Spirit), from which our entire perception will change.
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We are all insane. Only we’re not aware of it.
Insanity is unsoundness of mind. Believing in things that aren’t real.
Reality is perfect oneness, unconditional love. There is no duality, no subject-object. And most disconcerting to our healthy egos, no you-me.
We are so terrified of returning to sanity that we cling to this false belief that we are real and can suffer.
Hence this line from A Course in Miracles: “Only the insane would choose fear in place of love.”
We are all choosing fear. In fact, what we think of as peace is simply the abatement or temporary elimination of fear. But even in those “peaceful” moments, in the back of our mind is the worry that something will eventually occur that will take away our peace. Toward the end of glorious vacations or relaxing weekends, we bemoan the fact that we have to return to the “real world”.
In the real “real world” there is no conflict. No worry. Only love. And no fear.
So when we catch ourselves in the grip of fear, let’s remember that (a) we chose it during a temporary lapse into insanity, and (b) we can choose again.
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Fear is perhaps the most predominant emotion we experience. Much of our lives are spent either avoiding fear or striving toward goals we believe will reduce fear.
If we honestly assess our daily motivations and thoughts, we’ll discover that fear plays a central role in much of our physical and mental activity.
But it doesn’t exist. As A Course in Miracles so powerfully states, “Fear is not real.” We made it up, as a means to prove that we are unique, autonomous selves and that we can suffer.
Yet while we believe fear is real and substantial, it won’t help us at all to simply pretend that it doesn’t exist. The most helpful thing we can do is recognize that we are indeed choosing fear, that it doesn’t feel very good, and that there must be another way of looking at this.
That “little willingness” to see our lives from a different perspective is the opening of the doorway to peace.
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Growing up I hoped for a computer every year at Christmas. My family couldn’t afford one, but I nonetheless persisted in dreaming. And each year I’d feel sad that my wish was unfulfilled. Years later, when the school of my dreams (MIT) rejected my early-admission application, I thought my life was ruined. And many other countless disappointments in between and since.
It is so easy to believe that sadness, anger, emptiness, and all the other “negative” emotions come from things in the world (and our body) not going the way we’d like. But our belief is wrong.
This line from A Course in Miracles gets to the truth of the matter: “Only you can deprive yourself of anything.” Nobody and no-thing can make us unhappy. Only we can. And we do that through our misguided belief that fulfillment can be found in the world.
When we discover that the source of all joy and pain comes from a choice in the mind (not the brain), then we can begin the practice of returning to the source of all thought (and emotion) - which is our mind’s choice for either the ego or spirit. Deprivation comes from choosing the ego. Indescribable peace and joy come from spirit. The choice is up to us to make.
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Oscar Wilde once famously quipped, “Be yourself, for everyone else is already taken.”
But what does that mean, “Be yourself?” Be true to my ideals? Do what matters most to me? Follow my passion?
In order to be yourself, we must first be able to answer the question, “What am I?” And this is where all hell breaks loose.
We believe we are these bodies with certain characteristics, skills, and experience. We have a list of what we think we’re good at, areas we believe need work, and preferences we’d like met. The body (and brain) play a central role in our definition of self, as does our concept of soul when we consider the eventual demise or transcendence of the body.
At the core of “What am I?” is the strong sense of me-ness. I am me.
While we are so identified with “me”, our mind is split in two. One part knows the truth, and the other denies it.
When A Course in Miracles poses the question, “What is life except to be yourself?” it is challenging us to recognize our split mind, and particularly our strong association with the false self - known as the ego. That is where “me” comes from.
When we choose the part of our mind that knows the truth - otherwise known as the mind of love, spirit, or being - then we remember our true nature. We are one with everything. Me dissolves into We. And hell “disappears into the nothingness out of which it was made.”
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Perception is based on contradiction. We can’t discern music without silence between the notes. An object can only be identified in contrast to what it stands apart from, including a perceiving subject with sensory apparatus (ie. us).
Peace is the absence of conflict. One denies the existence of the other.
Death only has relevance in its opposition to life. And vice-versa.
This is the nature of duality. The world in which we believe we exist.
But we made it. It has no reality on its own.
Similar to dreams we have at night. No matter how complex the drama, no matter how large the number of major and minor characters that populate the dream, no matter how seemingly real it feels - we still made it all up.
When we wake in the morning, we are under no illusions that we made the dream and that its contents weren’t true.
The same is true with what A Course in Miracles refers to as our waking dreams - what we call reality. “Contradiction is the way we make what we perceive.” Opposites like happiness and sadness, life and death prove to us this is real.
Until we realize there’s another way. Another choice in our mind that ends contradiction and allows us to see (and experience) the joyful oneness that unites us all. Making that choice in the mind ends the dream of suffering and reunites us with the exquisite peace of the real world.
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Consider this challenging line from A Course in Miracles: “In every hurtful thought you hold lies the denial of your true Self.”
My thoughts are simply my musings regarding the world around me. They are private to me and are relatively harmless. Right?
WRONG!
As we further read in the Course, “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In fact, the Course goes on to further address this question: “Are thoughts dangerous? To bodies, yes!”
There is no such thing as an idle thought. Every thought we have demonstrates a belief system - either that we’re an ego, these bodies are real, and that we (and others) can suffer. Or, the belief that we are spirit, united with everyone, and that these bodies are simply learning vehicles for returning to the oneness we never left.
When we hold hurtful thoughts in our mind, we are denying our true Self. And we are denying the same in those for whom we hold such negativity.
Observing our thoughts becomes, in the words of Sigmund Freud, the “royal road to the mind” where we can make a different choice and escape all pain.
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When we associate sense of self with our body, then we will constantly be in defense mode. Not only does our body need to be protected against various forms of attack - both physically and psychologically - but we also see the body as a frail entity that will eventually die.
Believing we are a body, we are continually under assault. This is powerfully illustrated by a workbook lesson in A Course in Miracles which says, “If I defend myself I am attacked.”
The Course goes on to further state: “Defend the body and you have attacked your mind. It is essential to realize that all defenses do what they would defend.”
The ego leads us to believe that we are these bodies. It further counsels us that we need to defend ourselves, otherwise, bad things will happen. And we believe it.
But when we return to our right mind of spirit, we realize that there is nothing that needs to be defended. “In defenselessness I will be strong, and I will learn what my defenses hide.”
Let’s recall our true nature as spirit and that we need “no defense against the truth of our reality”.
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Whenever we feel tempted to judge someone, get angry with them, or see them as having done something wrong, here is a very helpful question we can ask ourselves: “Would I accuse myself of doing this?”
A Course in Miracles notes that this question represents “a very simple way to find the door to true forgiveness, and perceive it open wide in welcome.”
True forgiveness is not about letting others off the hook or repressing our “righteous wrath” - rather it is recognition that nothing happened. The meaning we give every situation is completely up to us. If we see ourselves as having been unfairly treated, then we are joined with the ego mind in false perception, or what the Course refers to as “forgiveness to destroy”. That’s the form of forgiveness that says, “You did this to me, and you should feel awful and guilty for that!”
Asking “Would I condemn myself for doing this?” helps shift into the right mind, which is the mind of love or oneness or presence. From here, “no one is crucified” and all we experience is lovely peace.
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This provocative line from A Course in Miracles showcases the platform of the ego: “Arrogance is the denial of love.”
Arrogance blusters, “I am better than you. My superiority will triumph.” We all know people like this, and we’ve all had our moments of such pomposity of thought.
The Course expands on that phrase: “Arrogance is the denial of love, because love shares and arrogance withholds.” And we are always choosing one over the other. “Your choice is determined by what you value.”
When we choose the ego mind, we will see a world of lack and separate interests. We are withholding love from others - and from ourselves. From this mind we live in a perpetual state of defense and attack. Continuously.
But when we choose the mind of love, we can only experience joy. Eternally.
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These very powerful words of encouragement can be found twice in A Course in Miracles: “You do not ask too much of life, but far too little.”
The first is in Chapter 26 in a section describing how all our pain comes from a choice in our minds for the ego thought system of separation, lack, and fear. We think the world and other people are responsible for our unhappiness, but that’s not how it works. The source of all sadness is the choice for the ego.
The second is in Lesson 133 entitled, “I will not value what is valueless.” In this lesson is another powerful truism: “Each choice you make brings everything to you or nothing.” And by choice the Course is not referring to making choices in the world but rather the choice we make in the mind for either the ego or spirit. And which choice we make determines what we experience in the world.
How do we know which choice we made? By how we feel. If there is any sense of guilt, anxiety, expectation, sadness, or even a mild twinge of concern - then we can be certain we’ve chosen the ego. When we choose the mind of spirit or presence, a deep calm envelops us. It’s an extraordinary peace that is independent of anything going on in the world.
When we choose the ego we are asking far too little of life. But we can choose again.
The choice is up to us.
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This is one of those mind-bending, framework shattering statements in A Course in Miracles: “There is no world apart from what you wish.”
What we experience as the real world seems so objectively “out there”. We believe the world exists as a solid foundation apart from and independent of us. We are born into that world, live a certain number of days experiencing varying amounts of pain and preferably pleasure. And then we die; our bodies decomposing back into the world.
But our perspective is wrong. We set it all up.
As the Course goes on to say: “There is no world apart from what you wish, and herein lies your ultimate release. Change but your mind on what you want to see, and all the world must change accordingly.”
Everything we experience comes from the choice we make in the mind (not the brain). When we return our awareness to our mind, then we can recognize whether we’re choosing the ego mind or the mind of presence. And if we don’t like what we’re experiencing, we simply choose again.
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My eyes seem to tell me a story. In that story are good people and bad ones. Beautiful sights and ugly ones. Happy experiences and sad ones.
In this story, I sometimes see myself as a victim. An innocent bystander impinged upon by the challenges of life. But it’s just a story. A child’s tale.
As we read in A Course in Miracles: “What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking reflects your choice of what you want to see. Fear has made everything you think you see.”
The story’s narrative comes from our mind. And in our mind, there are only two choices: ego or presence. That’s it - the ego mind or the mind of presence. But from this choice come two completely different worlds. The world of the ego is the one we most often experience. It’s a world made by fear. A world of duality. A world of separate interests. A world of hate, scarcity, and sadness. Hell.
But the other world is its opposite in every regard. From the mind of presence comes a world of joy, abundance, and peace. Unconditionally. Independent of anything anyone says or does. Independent of what’s going on with our body. It’s a world of incredible happiness. Heaven.
In the wise words of the Course, “Seek for the one; the other disappears.”
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Anytime we attack someone - even if it’s just with our thoughts - we are attacking our sense of self. We are basically saying to the universe, “I am not complete. Something outside of me has taken away my peace. And I am fully justified in my reaction.”
These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “All attack is Self attack. Attack is the way in which your identification is lost, because when you attack, you must have forgotten what you are.”
When we remember our true nature as spirit and return to our right mind of love, there is no attack. We are in a state of perfect peace. And no matter what is going on in the world, we will respond from a place of love and compassion. The words and actions that come through us will be whatever is most helpful for the situation.
How do we know if we’re coming from that place of peace? Because we have no vested interest in the outcome. There is no judgment. No need for a situation to be a certain way.
Of course, that is very hard for our ego minds to accept. As the Course teaches, our ego literally screams “I want it thus!”
Whenever we catch ourselves attacking, or even wanting to attack, let’s remember that we are attacking ourselves by reinforcing our ego. We can then quickly turn to the mind of love and experience a completely different outcome.
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It seems that our reality is a body in this world, interacting with other bodies, sometimes experiencing moments of pleasure and, perhaps more often, times of pain.
We toil away to provide for our loved ones with the hope of having our needs met, maintaining adequate health, and achieving a certain amount of success. What’s going on in the world, our environment, and within our body seems to determine our sense of happiness.
But our perception is completely wrong.
As we read in A Course in Miracles, “You are at home in God, dreaming of exile but perfectly capable of awakening to reality.” This world is an illusion, a cosmic dream that seems very real to us, but a dream nonetheless. Just like our dreams at night that seem so real until we awaken.
When we glimpse our true nature, our infinite oneness, we begin the process of awakening. And along the way, we smile more frequently and experience much more peace.
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Your presence touches the world. Your energy envelops everyone you think about.
No illusions of littleness that you believe about yourself or others is true.
Listen in silence and you will hear the glorious melody of your infinite soul as it echoes throughout the world. You are here to share your music. As we read in A Course in Miracles, “This world will change through you.”
Embrace your power.
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“Arouse joy in others.” For me, this is such a helpful, inspiring mantra to live by.
It comes from a passage in A Course in Miracles discussing why we don’t consistently experience happiness. The Course goes on to say, “It seems to you that the Holy Spirit does not produce joy consistently in you only because you do not consistently arouse joy in others.”
I think about how often I am looking for something in another person - a particular need or desire - at the expense of channeling joy to them.
When we are aligned with the mind of love, we automatically spark joy in others - which, of course, increases our own sense of happiness.
So the next time we catch ourselves in a state of sadness, let’s consider how we can arouse joy in someone else.
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“Your gifts fill the world with gladness and gratitude.” That is today’s beautiful inspiration from A Course in Miracles. Thank you for YOU!
Your gifts do indeed fill the world with gladness and gratitude.
As we go about our days and encounter all the challenges and drama that seem to come our way, let’s try to remember our special gifts. They are always there, radiating beautiful love and embracing everyone. In the moments we don’t sense that, it’s only because we’ve become temporarily distracted.
But the gifts remain, perfectly undisturbed. Patiently awaiting our turning away from the distractions and back into the warm light of truth.
In the comforting words of the Course, “Today we smile on everyone we see, and walk with lightened footsteps as we go to do what is appointed us to do.”
We are appointed to channel our gifts to everyone we encounter, and in so doing, receive the immense joy that comes from such sharing.
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A therapist who believes that something is broken which needs to be healed is not viewing the patient properly. When we look for causes in the world as the source of our sorrows, we will never find them. The world - and other people - are not responsible for our state of wellbeing. Rather, it is the choice for the ego that leads to all manner of unhappiness.
These powerful lines from A Course in Miracles make it so clear: “A therapist does not heal; he lets healing be. It is in the instant that the therapist forgets to judge the patient that healing occurs.”
When we let go of judgment, then we can see everyone as they truly are. And from that vantage point, we will automatically channel whatever words or actions would be most helpful.
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It is so easy to see the faults and limitations of others. The things they do wrong, the ways they are not kind, the deficiencies in their character, their lack of intelligence, absence of compassion, mistakes in judgement, and so on.
Their errors are crystal clear to us. And not only do we know what they’re doing wrong, we also know how they should be corrected.
But we couldn’t be more wrong. As these powerful statements from A Course in Miracles make poignantly clear:
“If you point out the errors of your brother’s ego you must be seeing through yours. When you react at all to errors, you are not listening to [the mind of love]. If you perceive his errors and accept them, then you are accepting yours. To perceive errors in anyone, and to react to them as if they were real, is to make them real to you.”
In fact, we are not only hurting others by perceiving their errors, but we are also limiting ourselves. The only way we can be at peace is to see peace in everyone.
How do we do that? This beautiful statement from the Course is quite helpful: “When a brother behaves insanely, you can heal him only by perceiving the sanity in him.”
So as we go about our days and find ourselves observing faults in others, let’s quickly recognize that we are seeing through the lens of our ego. And then look beyond our brother’s error and see the common bond that unites us all.
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When we judge, we are essentially saying, “this is how much I value something.” If I judge it as “bad” or “negative”, then I’m setting a low price. If I think it’s amazing and spectacular, then I’m setting a high price.
This is a very powerful concept from A Course in Miracles: “Judgment is the setting of a price. And as you set it you will pay it.”
The opposite of setting a price is seeing everything the same. Not creating a hierarchy of value where some people are nicer or better or more preferential than others. Seeing the underlying same-ness in everyone - independent of the ego-based traits we most often show to the world - leads to a much greater sense of peace and happiness.
And best of all, it’s completely free.
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If only people would do and say what we want them to, then life would be so much better.
Yet that is exactly what they do.
Only we’re not aware of it.
This very powerful line from A Course in Miracles sums it up: “The message your brother gives you is up to you.” In other words, we receive from others precisely what we want.
That is such a challenging concept. In fact, we very actively resist it. Nonetheless it is true.
Whichever part of our mind we’ve chosen - either the mind of ego or of love - then that is what we will experience in every situation. And when we’ve chosen the ego, we will encounter all manner of lack, disappointment, sadness, and fear. But when we chose the mind of love, all that we can possibly feel is joy and peace.
Let’s be mindful of which message we’re getting from our brother for that will tell us which mind we’ve chosen.
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“The ego analyzes; the Holy Spirit accepts.” That is today's inspiration from A Course in Miracles.
When I encounter a problem that I care about - whether that be in the world at large or specifically in my or a loved one’s body - my ego is all over it. How did this happen? Who or what is responsible? What needs to be done to fix it? How can we ensure this doesn’t happen again?
I’m clearly coming from a place of judgment. Judging that the experience is not how it ought to be - based on my clear understanding of what should be. But if we step back and look at it objectively, it’s really the height of arrogance to think that I know what is best for any given situation.
Conversely, from the right mind of Spirit, there is no judgment. Simply an acceptance of what is. And from this place of calm, non-judgmental is-ness flows whatever is most helpful for the situation. If there are words I need to speak or actions I need to take, they will come through with no sense of strain and no vested interest in a specific outcome.
In every circumstance we encounter - especially ones we consider to be stressful or troublesome - we’d be wise to choose against the ego mind of judgment and expectation of what should be and instead choose the Spirit mind of peace. The result is pure tranquility and joy.
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Despite appearances to the contrary, we are not these bodies. Wayne Dyer was fond of saying, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
But we’ve made quite the association between the body and our sense of self. When the body exhibits certain symptoms - what we call illness - we don’t say “the body is ill.” Instead, we say, “I am sick.”
When we dream at night, we very much associate our sense of self with the main character in the dream. But when we wake up in the morning, we realize it was just an illusion. We temporarily let go of “reality” and chose to inhabit a fictitious character in a dream. Yet while the dream was active, we completely believed it.
The same is true with what we call our “waking state”. We think these bodies are “us”. But this isn’t reality. As we read in A Course in Miracles: "I am spirit. No body can contain my spirit, nor impose on me a limitation."
When we accept limitation - which is anytime we are not at perfect peace - then we have temporarily lost sight of the fact that we are spirit, not these bodies.
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Today’s inspiration from A Course in Miracles is this: “The ear translates; it does not hear. The eye reproduces; it does not see.”
We think our ears and eyes hear and see reality respectively. But they don’t.
As A Course in Miracles goes on to say, “The body’s eyes see only form. They cannot see beyond what they were made to see.” Elsewhere, “See how the body’s eyes rest on externals and cannot go beyond. Watch how they stop at nothingness, unable to go beyond the form to meaning.”
When we judge anyone, whether we think they are good or bad, we are not seeing them for who they are. We are seeing form, but totally missing meaning. In fact, judgment and meaning are antithetical. Judgment comes from our ego mind, and meaning comes from our mind of love.
All seeing and hearing occurs in the mind. And when we’ve chosen the ego mind, nothing we see (or hear) will bring us happiness. And we will judge everything and everyone around us.
Conversely, from the mind of love, we can only experience peace and joy. And from this mind, we see the sameness in everyone, the love that unites everything - a state of true vision.
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It’s easy to believe that our thoughts are mostly harmless. They’re just thoughts after all. But it’s not true.
As we read in A Course in Miracles, “Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see.” In other words, our thoughts create our reality - not the other way around.
There is no objective reality out there impinging on us. We create it all with our thoughts. Similar to our sleeping dreams at night.
That concept is so very difficult to accept, because it places responsibility for experience onto us. But it is also liberating as it means that if we want a different experience, all we need to do is change our thoughts. As the Course goes on to say, “Change but your mind on what you want to see, and all the world must change accordingly.”
Therefore, it can be very helpful to practice watching our thoughts. And when we catch ourselves choosing the ego - which is true whenever we are judging, whenever we aren’t at peace - then we can gently make a different choice.
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We categorize people based on what we think about them. Those we like or admire rank higher than the ones we despise. We consider some people to be “good energy” and others to be a drag on our state of joy.
Yet there is no difference between anybody. Only in our judgment.
Everyone is the same. The superficial differences of form don’t matter. We are all one. And when we can see the sameness in everybody - the spirit of oneness that unites us all - then we recognize each person as they truly are.
From A Course in Miracles, “When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him you will see yourself. As you treat him you will treat yourself. As you think of him you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself.”
True vision sees everyone in the same light, and each experience is instantly transformed from one of judgment to one of joy.
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There’s a very challenging line in A Course in Miracles that reads, “Anger is never justified.” When we feel attacked or unfairly treated, we want retribution. We want the offending party to be held accountable in some way. We want justice.
But justice is impossible from such a state. Whenever we judge any situation, we are with our ego and projecting the contents of our wrong-minded thought system.
In fact, the only way we can be without peace is if we’ve chosen the ego. No one and no-thing can take away our unceasing state of inner joy. If we aren’t experiencing that, it’s only because we’ve chosen to temporarily ignore it.
If we feel any sense of anger - whether that’s a mild twinge of annoyance or murderous rage - it makes no difference; we’ve chosen the ego and are projecting its contents onto a particular person or situation.
But as soon as we catch ourselves doing that, we can make a different choice and escape all pain that choosing the ego has brought us.
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“I will receive what I am giving now.” -A Course in Miracles.
Imagine having complete control over all our experiences! In fact we do. We always receive what we give. While it may not be in the exact same physical form, it is certainly true in content.
Check out this powerful lesson from the Course: “To give and to receive are one in truth.”
Unfortunately we’re so conditioned to believe that everything we experience is some independent reality that just happens. We judge occurrences and situations as either good, bad, or neutral - never really considering that we set them all up. If we’re aligned with the ego mind, we will always channel thoughts of guilt, lack, and separate interests. Which means this is what we “offer” to everyone we encounter - including ourselves.
When we discover this truth about reality, then we can carefully watch what we truly offer to everyone around us.
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“Those whom you perceive as opponents are part of your peace.” This is such a powerful truism from A Course in Miracles. We think we’d be better off if the people we distrust, despise, or even simply dislike were either no longer part of our life, or better yet, changed their ways.
However, what we miss is that the exact people who “push our buttons” are the ones who can be our greatest teachers. Those “opponents” are part of our path to peace. Precisely because they reflect some internal block to the “awareness of love’s presence”. And our “little willingness” to look there opens huge opportunities for growth.
So let’s think about who we perceive as our opponents and try seeing them through the eyes of oneness, not division.
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“Grace is the natural state of everyone.” That is today's lovely quote from A Course in Miracles.
Grace is our natural state. Whenever we are not in such a state of grace, it is only because we’ve chosen our ego mind. This is true for everyone.
The ego is what teaches us that we are not perfect, that we can suffer, and that outside factors are the cause of our unhappiness. But no matter how much we believe a falsehood, it is still false.
When we choose against the ego, we immediately return to that natural state of peace and joy - otherwise known as grace.
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When I’m angry, there is someone or something to which my disappointment is directed. Whether it’s a person or a situation in the world doesn’t particularly matter. What does is that there is something “out there” which is the reason I am upset.
But if we step back and objectively look at anger, we see that it’s nothing more than a choice we make to let go of peace. Sure someone may have done something unkind, but no one and no-thing can make us angry. That’s our choice.
Consider this powerful line from A Course in Miracles: “Without projection there can be no anger.” The moment we stop projecting we are instantly filled with a joyful calm. And from this place of peace, we can respond to any situation or person with whatever words or actions are most helpful.
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“You are love.” That is today’s beautiful inspiration from A Course in Miracles.
You are perfect. You are complete. You are whole. And you are wholly united with everyone. If you think otherwise, it is only because you’ve temporarily sided with your ego.
Not only are you love, but so is everyone else. When we perceive otherwise, it’s only because we have aligned with a belief system of fear.
The Course goes on to say: “What you are is not established by your perception, and is not influenced by it at all. Teach only love, and learn that love is yours and you are love.”
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All our sense of struggle and discontentment comes from choosing our ego mind. Of course, the ego would have us believe otherwise. From the ego’s perspective, suffering is the result of living in this world, interacting with other people, and dealing with the limitations of our body.
But that isn’t true.
This powerful line from A Course in Miracles sums it up: “Pain is an ego illusion."
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Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? February is about the time that many people drift off track from their stated January goals.
Today I’d like to talk about this powerful resolution from A Course in Miracles which states, “Make this year different by making it all the same.” Helen Schucman - the scribe of the Course - channeled this line right around the New Year. And while it is a beautiful resolution for January, it is applicable for every day of the year.
The message behind this quote is to make the the entire year - each day actually - different from all our past years and days by seeing everyone as the same. Another powerful line in the Course is “differences in form do not matter.”
While we all have different bodies, different personalities, different skills, and different experiences - we all share the same wrong-minded thought system of the ego, and the same right-mind of oneness or presence. We are all one. And we all share the same purpose to awaken to that oneness which we never left.
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Whenever I would get disappointed or frustrated with someone, I was convinced it had to do with their lack of skill or motivation. Why aren’t they getting this? How can this be so hard? This should have been done by now.
Likewise, if I was angry with someone, clearly they did something wrong or inappropriate, and my response was more than justified.
It took me a long time to realize that all my negative emotions had absolutely nothing to do with other people. They were simply a screen or mirror onto which I was projecting what was inside of me. It was so subtle, yet so powerful. Because not only was I convinced that other people were responsible for my lack of peace, but each time I projected such thinking, I was reinforcing it in myself.
Which brings us to today’s thought from A Course in Miracles, which is this: “What you perceive in others you are strengthening in yourself.”
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“Peace is the ego's greatest enemy.” That is today’s insight from A Course in Miracles.
All the drama and chaos in our lives is purposeful. And the purpose is to keep us scurrying to-and-fro with our thoughts and with our actions. We are so busy and so captivated by the various goings-on in the world and our lives.
When we’re caught in the grip of such drama and business, we are anything but peaceful. And that’s the goal of the ego. To keep us rooted in craziness.
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Today’s beautiful insight from A Course in Miracles is this: “Teach only love, for that is what you are.”
The truth is, we are always teaching. In every moment, in every encounter, we teach what we believe. Whether we know it or not - we’re always teaching. If we’ve aligned with insecurity, guilt, anxiety, lack, and loss - then that’s what we’ll teach. And others will know us by those lessons.
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“Where you look to find yourself is up to you.” That is today’s insight from A Course in Miracles.
Here are some of the places I used to look to find myself: my reputation, my bank account, my being right, the look and performance of my body, intimate relationships, and so forth.
Far from finding myself in every one of those, I actually lost myself.
When I searched inside instead - within the recesses of my mind, away from all the ego attachments and enticements, I found my true treasure. My Self.
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“The wishes of the ego gave rise to the world you see.” That is today’s radical thought from A Course in Miracles.
Our experiences as a body interacting in the world convince us this is reality. Our pains and joys and sorrows and reliefs are the result of what has transpired and what we suspect may yet occur.
But what if we have it all wrong? What if reality has nothing to do with what the world and our body’s senses report?
Every non-dualistic thought system teaches that the world is an illusion. A dream. Seemingly real, as our nighttime dreams often are, but illusory nonetheless.
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Today’s quote from A Course in Miracles is this: “All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing.”
That is such a beautiful line in a lovely section of the Course on teaching and healing. How substantial the past seems to be. We carry that baggage wherever we go, and it colors all our encounters.
There are so many powerful lines that talk about the unreality of the past, but perhaps none so striking as this one: “The past is over. It can touch me not.”
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“When you are fearful, you have chosen wrongly.” That is today’s very powerful - and challenging - quote from A Course in Miracles.
I used to believe that fear was an appropriate response to a hostile, cold world. My safety lay in my self-defense, of which fear was a really effective mobilizer. Or so I thought.
Our emotions are not caused by anything that is happening in the world. Rather, we make our emotions - which are the direct result of a choice in the mind for either the thought system of ego or of presence.
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Today’s powerful quote from A Course in Miracles is this: “To hold a grievance is to forget who you are.” When we hold a grievance, we staunchly embrace the ego mantra, “You did this to me!”
But our true self is not an ego. We can let go of all judgment, all attack, all defense and recognize our brother as our self.
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“There are no small upsets. They are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind.” That is today’s quote from A Course in Miracles. Anytime we’re upset - no matter whether we consider it big or little - we’ve temporarily stepped out of our right mind. And in that moment we have thrown away peace. But we can make a different choice and escape all pain.
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Today’s thought from A Course in Miracles is this: “Nothing except your thoughts can attack you.” That seems so counter-intuitive. We’re taught to believe that attack comes from the “outside”. Unfriendly or callous people. Micro-organisms and toxins. Unhealthy or harsh environments. The world around us is a dangerous place, and we need to proactively defend ourselves against such nefarious elements. But is that true?
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One of the most serene sentences in A Course in Miracles - one that is so calming and empowering is this: "If you knew Who walks beside you on the way that you have chosen, fear would be impossible." Imagine how amazing that would feel - a life with no fear!
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This radical statement from A Course in Miracles is incredibly thought provoking: “Your thoughts determine the world you see.” We think the outside world "just happens" and that we experience an objective reality "out there". Yet what we learn is that we have it all backwards. It starts with our thoughts - and then what we experience in the world is a projection or manifestation of those thoughts.
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Anthony discusses today's inspirational quote from A Course in Miracles: “The message your brother gives you is up to you.”
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